


Descartes Error

by startrekfanwriter



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Origins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-19
Updated: 2013-06-03
Packaged: 2017-12-12 08:13:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 39,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/809325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startrekfanwriter/pseuds/startrekfanwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the movie, Spock was worried about appearing to give favoritism to Nyota -- there must have been some reason he was worried about giving that impression. Someone KNEW something was up. And how would a 'logical' guy like Spock wind up wrapped up in something like that to begin with?</p><p>Also, Spock seemed to be Pike's second in Command, but apparently had been some sort of instructor at some time...how did he go from instructor to second in Command on the Enterprise?</p><p>Finally, love Spock as I do, he has some anger management issues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Accusations

The Hall of Sciences was dim. Four humans and three Vulcans convened at the tip of a giant meeting table shaped like a Starfleet insignia.

Sitting at the head of the table was Commander Doris Sharpton, acting dean of the School of Sciences. She was a no-nonsense looking sort of woman with short white hair, very little makeup wearing a Starfleet pant suit uniform. Usually, her appearance would have been softened by a face etched with laugh lines, but at this moment she was sitting stiffly, eyebrows scowling, trying to contain her annoyance.

An older man was standing at the right side of the table flanked by the three Vulcans. His white hair and beard were unkempt. He was oddly shaped, with a strange potbelly emphasized by a pair of pants worn slightly too high. "You do know what I'm talking about, although I know you all like to pretend otherwise..."

"Professor Xelium," Doris replied, "I'm racking my brain and I can honestly say I have no idea what you are referring to."

The two other humans next to her nodded and murmured in assent. The Vulcans did not move, nor did they say anything. Xelium smiled. "He touched her, right up there for everyone to see. He took her hand, and squeezed it ever so lightly. Oh it was cute. And did you notice how he looked at her at that moment?"

"And you are basing your accusation of improper conduct between an instructor and a cadet, putting both their reputations at risk, and jeopardizing the reputation of this institution on the basis that he may have touched her hand, and maybe, maybe looked at her fondly?" Doris' voice was low, even and controlled. Her eyes shot knives.

"You know I would never make this accusation if he was human of course," Xelium said, his voice softer now, a smirk plastered to his face. "But the Lieutenant in question is not human, he is Vulcan. That is why I've requested the presence of three of Starfleet's Vulcan Council on Interspecies Relations at this meeting."

Next to Doris, one of the humans, a short compact man in his early forties, snapped, "What sort of bloody witch hunt is this?"

Doris nodded at the man in acknowledgment. "You express my feelings exactly Lieutenant Commander O'Hara. I am sure our Vulcan guests are just as baffled by the accusation as we are."

Doris turned her eyes to the elder Vulcan in the group, expecting for him to confirm her assumptions. She was sorely disappointed.

"In point of fact," the elder Vulcan began, "we found this public display highly inappropriate in nature. Not only was it physical contact between an unbonded pair, but it was between a superior and a subordinate. Moreover, it occurred in a public venue. It was an unprecedented display of emotion, and suggests intimate relationships beyond what is acceptable. We believe his logic and rationality are compromised."

Doris sighed inwardly. Generally interspecies counselors defended their members against cultural misunderstandings. That is why they were required at these sorts of proceedings. Damn Vulcans and their sense of propriety.

Another member of the human team, a neat man of Japanese descent, also in his mid-40's, replied to the Vulcan, "D'Zorack, he is half human and he has been on living with humans for 7 years. Maybe he has picked up some human mannerisms?"

D'Zorak regarded the man coldly. "Professor Matsumura, he was born and raised on Vulcan, no matter what his genetic heritage. What he did was wrong based on his upbringing -- and his Vulcan ancestry. Further, Vulcans don't just pick up mannerisms. They only consciously adopt behaviors based on long hours of careful meditation. The adoption of such an emotional display would suggest a severe lapse in judgment. This is particularly disturbing since his choices and recommendations will affect the cadet's future."

Dr. Xelium jumped in here. "You see Doris, your wunderkind has feet of clay." Then he added, "What I believe, D'Zorak is trying to say is that it would be terrible if an unqualified cadet promoted on the couch were to put the lives of her fellow officers at risk on board a starship."

"That was uncalled for," shot Doris.

O'Hara spoke up, his voice cold as ice this time. Although responding to Xelium he spoke to the Vulcans. "And, it's an inductive argument. You can't say that because he touched her wrist and looked at her funny that he's got her on the couch. It's a fallacy…and illogical." O'Hara turned his gaze directly to the leader. "Right D'Zorak?

D'Zorak looked at Patrick for a moment and then turned back to Xelium. "We agree that his relationship is far too intimate, and that his logic is compromised. But the act we are discussing cannot logically be used as evidence for another act. We regard the public display as an indication of further intimacy between the two. We would suggest Spock be questioned as to the extent of the relationship, but what we saw is not proof."

"Then why don't we bring him up here and ask him," Xelium said addressing everyone, continuing to smirk. "Let him clear the air for us."

Doris was thinking that this might be a good idea, just to shut Xelium up. It would be entertaining to watch Spock castrate Xelium with his cool logic--and give the Vulcan a chance for public exoneration.

Professor Matsumura spoke up. His voice was very soft. "Vulcans are intensely private about such matters, I'm sure a public trial, even just before us would be extremely uncomfortable for him. If Spock is to be implicated by Vulcan standards, any inquiries into his conduct should be done in a private way by his immediate superior -- this is a right that would be granted to him on Vulcan, would it not?"

Of all the humans at the table Matsumura had the most experience with Vulcan culture, Doris remembered, this and only this caused Doris to hold back her urge to have Spock immediately called before the committee.

D'Zorak spoke now. "Indeed, we would not suggest otherwise. He needs to be questioned about other possible improper conduct, but a public confrontation might be too…revealing."

At this statement, Doris noticed Xelium's smile shrink a little.

D'Zorak continued, "However, whatever the outcome of that conversation we would submit that he be subject to observation to monitor his mental condition."

Observation would mean that Spock would have his movements and contacts with other Starfleet personnel and students monitored at all times via his commlink. Depending on the terms of the observation period, all his conversations could become part of public record too. Doris watched disgusted as Xeliums' smile slipped back onto his face.

"Isn't that a little much, D'Zorak?" Doris asked.

D'Zorak tilted his head. "I suspect after this impropriety is brought to Lieutenant Commander Spock's attention he will request a period of observation himself. Both to clear his and the cadet's name, and to protect himself against the possibility of further deterioration in his mental abilities."

Doris pushed herself back from the table and stood up, smoothing her pants with agitated hands. "This is utterly ridiculous. But if it is the position of the counsel that his immediate supervisor question him, I will do it. Does this satisfy everyone?" The last sentence was said with undisguised venom, and she drilled her eyes into Xelium's as she spoke.

All three Vulcan's nodded. Dr. Matsumura bowed his head in ascent.

O'Hara, rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah it's fine," Then he added, "This is worse than God Damn Victorian England."

Doris turned her attention to the one remaining member of the gathering. "Xelium?"

He tilted back in his chair, and stroked his beard theatrically.

Doris realized with great frustration that he was doing this to irritate her and the other humans in the committee...and unfortunately it was working.

"Well normally, I think a meeting with all of us would be more appropriate. But....with the condition of further observation I see no problem with it."

"All right," Snapped Doris, "Meeting adjourned."

The next day, Doris made her way down the hall to Spock's office. She felt vaguely sick, Spock was innocent, and probably would only have an intellectual curiosity in the accusations at best...But it was still troubling to her to have to even bring the subject up at all.

She had no doubt as to Xelium's motivations. Spock  _was_  a wunderkind. In his few short years at Starfleets' Academy his rise had been meteoric. Due in no small part to her efforts to navigate him more quickly through the maze of bureaucratic road blocks, and getting him installed in his own lab in record time. The only hurdle she hadn't been able to help him hop was his assignment as most junior officer and instructor in the department to teach the Xenolinguists students the Science of Signal Transmissions, Sub- and Non-Subspace Curriculum.

She sighed. Twenty years ago the Xenolinguist Department had lost their own professor while he'd been on mission with the U.S.S. Kelvin. Unfortunately, the temporary assignment of one of her colleagues to teach the course had proved so successful -- in the eyes of the budgeting department at least, that the original position was never replaced.

Spock vindicated her efforts to advance him quickly. His discoveries in the realm of radio subspace transmissions put Starfleet Academy in the same league as the Vulcan Science Academy.

Moreover, his discoveries rearranged the Terran history books. Doris mentally corrected herself, Spock was always quick to point out that the historical implications of his research were due in large part to the curiosity of his assistant, Cadet Uhura. Always logical Doris mused, never the narcissist, very different from Xelium.

Once Xelium had been considered a wunderkind himself. But his theories had largely been disproved or overshadowed. Until lately, Xelium's research had been unheralded and obscure…well, he still didn't seem to think his new work was heralded enough. To make up for the lack of attention professionally, Xelium pretty much lived to get attention personally--by ruffling feathers, upsetting others, and generally being a nasty obtrusive nuisance.

She shook her head; not for the first time she silently cursed the academic tradition of tenure.

Spock's Vulcan demeanor had been off putting at first; Doris realized even now that in four years she'd never really had a personal conversation with the young researcher. But gradually she and the other members of the department had begun to warm to him. He was a cold, emotionally detached Vulcan, but he was  _their_  cold, emotionally detached Vulcan. Spock was always willing to take up an intellectual conversation. He could detect almost any logical flaw in a theory, but his criticisms were never emotionally driven. He was a remarkable asset if you were a researcher who found yourself painted into a corner...if there was a logical way out, he could see it. Not surprisingly his opinions were often sought and always respected.

And well, Spock knew his demeanor was a problem. He spent a great deal of time in his early years at the Academy studying human psychology and culture. He did his best to respect the niceties, and in the last year and a half or so he'd become much better dealing with human foibles.

The good thing about Spock's logical disposition was that he would undoubtedly take these accusations with his normal cool detachment. That didn't mean she didn't feel sick to her stomach telling him about them.

She reached the door to Spock's lab. It was open, of course. His door was always open. She didn't see him at the simulation consoles but she could hear Cadet Uhura's laughter bubbling from the open door to his office. And she paused...because she heard something she had never thought she'd hear from Spock. For an instant she felt a twinge of uncertainty.


	2. Suspicious Behavior

 

Unbidden and unscripted, Spock was joking with Uhura.

"Come on, you can think of some other use for this subspace receiver than just delivering Starfleet weather reports to distant colonists," laughed the Cadet, her back to the the door.

Spock was standing opposite Uhura several feet across the office. He held a four by eight inch black box in his hand and he was speaking in his usual monotone, "Well, Cadet, it might make a very good doorstop..."

"No, Lieutenant Commander, we did not spend two years of our lives building a better doorstop. You can do better than that."

"But it is exactly the right size and mass. Colonists don't often have pneumatic doors and..." he looked up to see Doris at the door. "Commander Sharpton, I did not hear you come in."

Both he and Uhura snapped to attention as Doris entered. She waved in the gesture they knew to mean at ease.

Uhura smiled. "Commander Sharpton," she exclaimed happily, "How are you?" And then because she was Uhura she walked over and touched the older woman's arm, lightly directing Doris over to get a closer look at the device Spock was now carefully inspecting.

"It's the first prototype from the engineering department," Uhura explained. "The Lieutenant Commander just invited me over to see it. I think that it might be nice for lonely colonists on distant outposts without subspace stations to receive a birthday greeting from their mother on occasion...he doesn't share my enthusiasm."

Spock said nothing; he merely flipped the object in his hands and tapped gingerly at what looked like speakers.

"Ah, your new baby," Doris said, mentally choking on her choice of words.

Spock looked up and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"It's an expression, I will explain it later," Uhura said.

Doris had the sudden feeling that she'd interrupted a very intimate conversation. She sighed inwardly. The best thing to do was just get this unpleasantness over with.

"Uhura, I'd like to talk to Spock alone for a few minutes," Doris said.

"That's alright; I was just on my way to my next class. Have a good day Commander Sharpton, Lieutenant Commander." She nodded in their directions, grabbed a bag that had been sitting on the floor and headed out the door.

Doris watched the young woman stride purposefully through the lab. Uhura's a good girl, Doris thought to herself, she can be tough and feisty when she needs to be, but in general just tries to make everyone feel comfortable.

She turned to face Spock. He was looking directly into Doris' eyes, his usual serene mask on his face. Without asking permission, Doris reached out and touched the close door button.

"You might want to sit down for this Spock, I know I need to," she said, looking around for a chair. Spock remained where he was, but he put down the transmitter and pulled his hands behind his back. Doris decided against sitting down, she wanted to pace, she didn't want to look him in the eye.

She sighed audibly. "Spock, I'm very embarrassed to have to have this conversation with you...and I want to say at the outset that I have no doubt of your innocence..."

Then she took a deep breath, swallowed, and continued, "You've been accused of professional misconduct. Specifically of being in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate."

"May I ask on what evidence?" the Vulcan asked, ever his cool composed self.

"Spock..." she laughed nervously, not looking at him. "You are guilty of squeezing a girl's hand in public and looking at her in the wrong way."

For a moment he looked confused, tilting his head and looking at the floor. Then he murmured, "Ahhh...before she delivered the translation...Cadet Uhura."

He looked down at the ground, tilted his head a bit and then continued quietly. "It was not her hand, it was her wrist. I noticed that her heart rate was elevated. She is surprisingly shy about public speaking." Another pause, then he continued, "I have noticed that brief gestures of physical contact are calming to humans under stress. I acknowledged the gesture and her nervousness with eye contact."

Doris smiled and suddenly felt immeasurably more relaxed. "I knew of course you would have a perfectly logical explanation."

She sighed. "Well, the Vulcan Interspecies Council got involved. They of course find the gesture highly offensive, indicative of a deeper relationship, and evidence of a deterioration of your mental abilities. But as you just so logically pointed out, you were just demonstrating cross-cultural sensitivity."

Doris continued, "I'm supposed to verify with you privately that there is no more untoward behavior between you and Cadet Uhura, and the council is recommending that you be placed under observation."

Now she turned and looked at him hard. "Of course, what I would really like to do is blow this up in their faces. I know Vulcan's are private about such matters, but this is...this is unacceptable."

"What are you proposing?" Spock asked.

"I'm proposing we go public with it, bring the charges out in the open--preferably before the Interspecies Council and the chancellor. You'll defend yourself, show how baseless the accusations are. It's outrageous the standards they are holding you to!"

Spock walked slowly around his desk and seated himself in his chair. He rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands in front of him.

"Commander," he said, "I would prefer not to take such a public course of action."

Doris took a deep breath, Vulcan propriety again. "Spock, I think we could just get away with you reading a prepared statement enumerating the logic behind your perceived misbehavior and declaring your innocence. You are a Vulcan, your word is your bond--there will be no cross questioning. Then I'll ream them a new one for the absurdity of it all." Doris had not worked her way to the head of the department by being genteel.

Spock sat staring straight ahead saying nothing.

Doris leaned in closer to him. "Spock, I know Vulcan's are normally private about such matters, but do you really want to be placed under observation?"

Spock didn't respond to her question. He stared at some indefinable space in front of him and murmured, "Declare my innocence...

"Commander, I have never let emotion cloud my judgment of Cadet Uhura's or any other student or aides performance. I have kept excellent records of ..."

"Of course you haven't let emotion influence your grading Spock!" Doris said a bit exasperated. "You've never let emotion cloud anything. You are the most cold, calculating, controlled mind in this department. And we all love you for it! That is why I want to go public with this. To shame your accusers, clear your and Uhura's names and get on with it. All you have to do, Spock, is declare your innocence. It's that simple...isn't it?"

Spock was silent for a long moment before he responded, his voice soft, his face a mask. "It is not that simple."

"Spock, I really don't understand the problem. Is it your Vulcan sense of propriety?"

"No. It is not a matter of propriety."

He looked like he was trying to say something, but instead he just took a long slow intake of breath. He looked down and said quietly, as though revealing something he himself was surprised to discover, "You see, I seem to be unable to lie."

Suddenly the memory of Uhura's laughter just a few minutes ago rang through Doris' mind. The older woman walked over to the wall opposite Spock and weakly sat down in the extra chair. She put one hand to her forehead, massaged her temple, and muttered under her breath, "Oh Hell, Spock."


	3. Descartes Error

1 YEAR 8 MONTHS EARLIER

Spock was standing over Cadet Uhura in the signal transmissions laboratory.

She had just begun instruction with him a month ago, right after the grueling 13 weeks of basic training in combat and weapons all cadets had to undergo. Her black hair was still short from the initial cut she'd received that first day, only long enough to be tied into a tiny regulation ponytail at the back of her neck. As a xenolinguistics student she was required to take two signal transmission courses with Spock; one special half semester course after BT, then one more in her second semester.

Cadet Uhura, although a diligent student, had not displayed any great aptitude, nor great enthusiasm for signal transmissions, at least from the theoretical or practical physics aspect of it. Although, to be fair neither had any of her other Xenolinguist colleagues. So Spock was a little surprised that she had been focused on a monitor for nearly two hours after lab had ended.

"Cadet Uhura," said Spock, "The lab has been over since 14:00. What are you doing?"

The Cadet looked up at him startled. "Lieutenant," she said rising.

"As you were," he said, and then nodded at the screen. "What are you doing?"

She turned back to the 2D monitor. "I'm looking for something."

Spock arched his eyebrows. This was a maddeningly imprecise answer. "Perhaps Cadet, if you gave me more details, I will be able to help you."

She turned and looked at him. "I'm sorry. We just had an exam in History of Alien Contact. Our instructor gave us each a different sample of random static pulled from the archives. All the samples were supposed to be negative for contact, but I heard something in mine." She reached for her PADD. "Would you like to hear?"

Spock was curious about anything that could motivate a xenolinguist student to pour through signal transmissions voluntarily for fifteen minutes, let alone two hours.

"Please," he said, taking the proffered PADD, and plugging in his ear buds.

The sample lasted only a few seconds. "Cadet, all I hear is static from some sort of primitive radio wave receiving device."

"Listen again-right at the end."

Spock complied and again heard nothing.

She read his expression and said softer this time, "Once more. Please, listen..."

He did so, concentrating this time at the end, and he heard it. Less than a heart beat from the end of the short sample, there in the static was a faint but audible sound.

"I hear it," he responded, "It almost sounds like the Romulan 13th tone."

"Yes," the Cadet said triumphantly, "That is exactly what I said, but my professor does not agree."

She touched the PADD. The screen held what was obviously her responses to an exam. She pointed to the fourth question where her student input said, Radio reception, 30kHz-30MHz. Possible alien transmission at the end, Romulan 13th tone.

Beneath her reply was input in red, Radio transmission. Negative for contact. Very active imagination. 0 Points.

"Cadet," Spock said, "Although I do think he should have given you partial credit for catching that...anomaly, the sample is too short to accurately determine if what we are hearing is Romulan in origin."

"I know, but it just feels to me there is something more than static going on there," Uhura replied.

"A feeling isn't a logical basis to go on," Spock responded noting to himself that this was the 135th time he'd spoken these words since joining Starfleet.

The cadet looked at him briefly and then smiled a bit mischievously. "I'm human, not Vulcan. My brain doesn't work like yours. It can't take all the stimulus it receives and process it logically because it can't possibly know all the stimulus it receives. It's made up of serial, not parallel circuits; I rely on my emotions to trigger what I know subconsciously and bring them to the forefront of my conscious."

At least, thought Spock, she acknowledges that her feeling itself isn't definitively rational. "Ah yes," he replied, "Descartes Error, the theory that emotions provide the basis for human rational thought."

"I'm testing the theory in practice right now."

He was about to comment on the unscientific nature of her experiment, but she caught him first. "Yes, I realize that my sample size is too small and I don't exactly have a control group...

"I also know that the sample is too short. I was trying to perform a waveform analysis on it, and then I thought I could match it up to the complete recording. But, to be honest, I'm not very good at this."

Well, at least she admits it, thought Spock looking over her shoulder at the poorly chosen parameters she'd selected for said waveform analysis. "Cadet, I have to clear the lab out," he said, "Please send me the original sample."

The next week after lab Spock took the Cadet Uhura aside. "Walk with me," he said.

Uhura followed him out of the Xenolinguistics laboratory, down the hall into his laboratory and into his office.

Spock turned to face her. "I found the original recording for your sample. It was from a very unusual project back in the 1990s to scan radio frequencies for extraterrestrial contact."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. You didn't have to find it, it must have taken you a very long time."

Spock looked at her. "In point of fact, the waveform analysis only took me 13.5 minutes, it did take a long time for the computer to sort through the archives, but that was largely passive effort on my part."

"So you did think that there was something worth looking into in this sample, though," she said smiling.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "No, Cadet, I performed the analysis and search to prove you wrong."

"Computer," he said, "Play recording 180092A."

The familiar static filled the room. But this time it didn't stop.

"It is a dead ringer for the Romulan 13th tone!" Uhura exclaimed.

Spock held a finger to his lips as the recording continued.

She became quiet, then her eyes widened. "It almost sounds like Romulan 20th click," and there was a pause in the recording, "and is that a Romulan tone 15..?"

"Computer end recording." He turned and faced her. "That is what I heard too. Obviously the recording has been tampered with. Had a Romulan visited Earth during the 1990s, it is doubtful that either of us would be here today. Still, your intuition was right, even if the recording is false. The unexpected results of my efforts to disprove Descartes Error have proven to be more interesting than the expected outcome."

She started to speak, holding out her fingers as she did so as though she were counting. One finger extended. "Romulan 13th tone, to change, to switch, to rearrange, to move." She extended her second finger, "Romulan click 20 meaning 4th, infinite, but this is the old dialect so it probably is closer to the meaning 'time'..." A third finger extended. "Romulan tone 15th, beneath, but again ancient dialect, more like tunnel..."

He was genuinely impressed that a cadet barely in her first year knew ancient Romulan. "I believe your interpretation is correct, it is an excellent imitation."

She didn't seem to have heard him, she just murmured, almost to herself, "Switch time tunnel...the Romulan word for subspace literally translates to tunnels through time, although they use a different set of clicks and syllables now. Lieutenant Spock, is he saying to switch to a subspace transmission?"

"It could, theoretically. If it were genuine. I have checked, this recording hasn't been altered since it made it to the Starfleet records, but it is nearly 200 years old."

Spock watched her shoulders fall a little bit.

Then she asked, "Lieutenant Spock, would you please play the recording again?"

Spock doubted that they'd missed anything in the recording, still, her aural abilities seemed to be better than his own. "Computer please repeat the recording."

They listened in silence as the static of the faint 'Romulan' sample played. And then Cadet Uhura did something he did not expect. She shivered. Was his office too cold? Well, yes, it was always too cold for him, but she was human, not Vulcan, and he didn't detect any sudden change in temperature.

"Cadet, are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes, it's just eerie," she replied, "He just sounds so...sad."

Spock took a long deep breath. "Cadet, indulging in speculation about what is, in all probability, the emotional state of the perpetrator of fraud, seems not to be the best use of our time."

"You said that the recording hadn't been tampered with since coming into Starfleet records-when was that?"

"It has been in the archives since Starfleet was founded in 2140. I actually think that is the reason it hasn't been analyzed since now. The early years of Starfleet were very disorganized."

"Terrans have only been able to interpret the Romulan ancient dialect since 2150," said the cadet.

"Vulcans have known it much longer."

"Yes I know, but Vulcans don't perpetrate fraud."

"True, but the possibility of this being genuine..."

"...is highly unlikely. If Romulans were here we wouldn't be. It's just...I guess the only way to prove that it is genuine would be to get the subsequent subspace transmissions." She laughed softly and continued, "and of course they weren't exactly listening to subspace signals in the 1990s. So it's impossible, a dead end."

Spock's Vulcan compulsion for honesty got the best of him. "It is impossible, presently. But with this particular recording, most likely possible within the next two and a half years."

"Excuse me?"

"Recently there has been research into reconstructing subspace signals from radio waves. If sufficient information is available from the radio spectrum-that is to say there is data for low, medium, high, and ultra high frequencies, it is possible to analyze the signals, create a dimensional array from the data and then reconstruct patterns generated by subspace activity.

"Sufficient data does exist for this recording. It was part of the Sagan Project, a privately funded project to search for extraterrestrial visitors. Across the globe at the time, governments made sporadic attempts to scan the universe for electromagnetic radio waves that signaled extraterrestrial intelligence in distant galaxies...the founders of Sagan focused on the skies above their heads. The Saganites were convinced that Earth had been visited from time to time. They collected signals from across the radio spectrum-so sufficient data does exist to reconstruct patterns of subspace activity; the trick would be interpreting it.

"Currently, the focus of the research is to translate the subspace activity derived from the dimensional array."

He stopped to consider; it was quite an effort putting this into simplistic language. "The data from the dimensional array are the footprints of subspace signals as they enter and exit normal time.

"For each known sound in every known language there is a unique footprint. Currently the research is identifying each footprint in laboratory simulations. This is a long laborious process. After that step is done further research will need to be done to isolate sentient subspace signals from naturally occurring transmissions."

"I'd never heard of this research...who is doing it?" Cadet Uhura asked.

Spock paused. "I am."

The cadet looked at him unblinking. Then she squared her shoulders and asked, "Lieutenant Spock, do you believe an assistant skilled in xenolinguistics could be of help in your research?"

Spock tilted his head. "A skilled assistant perhaps, but as barely a first year student, I doubt that you are qualified."

Cadet Uhura responded in perfect Vulcan standard, "I was introduced to Vulcan, Romulan dialects I, II and III, and Klingon before I was even a year old. I've tested out of all of the entry level courses in these subjects."

Spock blinked; if she wasn't standing in front of him he would have thought he was listening to a native speaker.

She continued in Vulcan, "I am conversationally fluent in Cardassian, Orion, Ferengi, Gorn, and Andorian, and know the structural features of these and ten other xenolanguages quite well. Plus myriad other Terran languages..."

Then she switched to another language and said a stream of smooth words Spock did not understand. Spock looked at her impassively. "Excuse me, Cadet, I don't think I know that last one..."

"Oh, sorry, that was Betazed. I just said that I've been studying it informally, for fun."

Spock took her on.

 


	4. Less than Optimal Minds

Spock did nothing with the Sagan recording at first, other than to report it to Commander Sharpton. If there was tampering with some of the files the Commander should know. He planned to look into the recording further if the Commander found nothing suspicious, but for now his research was far too preliminary to be of use in unraveling its mysteries.

Subspace signals were how all sentient space going races communicated across the light years. Ordinary radio transmission could take millions of years to cross between stars. A subspace signal could cross instantly. He had successfully proven that subspace transmissions left markers in radio frequencies when they departed and entered normal time. Now he was looking for patterns. Each sound in a subspace transmission, and the length of a sound itself, created its own unique signature, as the energy used to create it drilled a tiny tunnel into the fourth dimension, and then another unique foot print as it exited the realm of subspace and entered normal time. If these foot prints could be identified, reading subspace transmissions in radio signals might become common practice.

The advantages of a radio signal receiver were obvious. Genuine subspace receiving and sending stations were cumbersome. They needed to be able to generate large amounts of power to send signals, and because of the magic of quantum energy conservation, they also needed to be able to receive large quantities of power -- which meant that those on both the sending AND receiving end of subspace signals could be easily detected.

If ordinary radio waves could be used to interpret subspace signals then very lightweight, low power subspace signal interpreting devices could be created. Colonists in remote outposts with intermittent power could receive critical messages from space. There were strategic advantages as well. Because those on the receiving end of the signal would not require the large amounts of power generally required for a subspace receiver they could pass undetected in enemy territory, receiving, if not sending tactical communications.

He had reached the point in his research where he was cracking the code of each individual language. It was a laborious process--simulations had to be run, run again, checked and cross checked. Then all results had to be translated, cataloged and organized in a rational way.

Uhura was able to help Spock begin simulations and download data when his schedule did not allow. But it was in the second task Uhura truly excelled. As a Xenolinguist (if an inexperienced one) she knew just about every sound in every known language and was familiar with the tempo of languages as well. As he was able to extrapolate a signature for a particular tone or pause she was to identify it and handle the tedious task of cataloging.

Her help left him free to calibrate the simulators and refine the algorithms. It also left him free to plan the second phase of his project, which would be putting his theory into practical use. Combining modern radio frequency recordings with known subspace transmissions and deciphering them--if and when he was successful at this he would turn his attention to the study of historical transmissions. But the second phase would by no means be easy. Outside the laboratory there would be thousands of communication subspace transmissions to untangle, plus naturally occurring subspace noise generated by the stars and planets themselves.

Once when he had commented on the natural occurring subspace sounds Uhura had laughed and said, "Our job would be so much easier if the stars weren't gossiping to each other."

It seemed a pointless thing to say and he had been about to tell her so but she caught him before he could even open his mouth, "Its a joke Lieutenant Spock. By joking about the extra time we will incur due to the gossip of the stars I am relieving the tension I feel caused by my impatience to see your theory proved. It is how I deal with my emotions in a way that does not hinder my productivity."

Then she beamed at him and said in Vulcan, " _I'm just doing the best I can to accommodate the failings of my less than optimal human mind._.." and placing a hand over the left side of her chest she added in the common lingua franca, "and heart."

This comment left him completely speechless, he was too flummoxed to even comment on the irrationality of the heart comment. She inferred he believed the human mind to be less than optimal? That would seem to be something that should make her insulted, but she was smiling? Why?

In truth, Spock did think the human mind to be less than optimal...at least, in some ways. Clearly, most humans did not possess the same ability for rapid calculations in their heads, they were not exposed to the same breadth of knowledge as Vulcans and tended to specialize more.

He had concluded that this specialization is what made the job of teaching Xenolinguists students to be regarded as a chore by most everyone in the science department. After his first class he realized many of the students found the technical aspects of their choice of chosen career to be boring, or slightly over their heads. It took a lot of time to break down what he considered basic science into simpler terms that these students could understand. And even many diligent students who threw themselves into their work whole hardily often fell short. Spock had spent his first semester working with one particular young man nearly every day. It was obvious this student's efforts were adequate, but the results...not so much. At one point, after an hour long study session with Spock the young man had groaned and said, "Stop! Stop! My brain is full!" Spock had begun to object to the illogical nature of this statement, but then reconsidered. Perhaps the implication of the statement was correct. Pushing the young man was not increasing his retention of the subject matter, perhaps the metaphor was adept. Perhaps his brain was full...

What was more remarkable was that this student, as a xenolinguist and a xenoanatomist, was extremely talented. Spock had been surprised to learn that the young man had been instrumental in the deciphering of the language of a remote prewarp sentient species. His former student had noticed that there were patterns in the specie's audio recordings in response to known phenomena on their planet and in their solar system. From these patterns alone he was able to put together a Rosetta Stone of sorts that helped decode the rest of their language. More over, he was able from audio recordings alone to create a working model of the species vocal apparatus that upon subsequent covert planet visits turned out to be nearly identical to what was discovered in close-up medical scans.

To make up for their failings, Spock noticed, humans outsourced what they could not perform manually, or fast enough to other humans or to technology. Spock had been startled to realize that humans relied on machines for what he considered basic calculations in mathematics. Any Vulcan would have seen it as lazy. At a certain point though, Spock had realized that as the mathematics became more complex humans with their technological aides could arrive at answers at the same speed or even more quickly than Vulcans. It made Spock wonder if the output was the same, and even sometimes faster, were the inputs truly less optimal?

Humans were different, that was true.

At first he had thought that the human's in his science department were more rational and less illogical than typical. But he began to realize that was a misinterpretation. They would get extremely emotionally involved in their pursuit of logic, some of the most brilliant would have giant flashes of "insight", form huge hypothesis it seemed to him on wild speculation, then throw themselves into proving their points--often criticizing the logic of anyone who dared question their theories. Nine times out of ten they would fail...and then they'd get right back up and do it again.

It was fascinating.


	5. She's So Bubbly

Spock was talking to a colleague in the hall a month after Uhura's assistantship had begun, when the Cadet and an Orion friend walked by them.

Cadet Uhura, Spock had noticed, seemed to function in two modes, "work" and "non-work". She was extremely dedicated, diligent and "on task" while in class or working as his aide. She was serene, professional, almost Vulcan like. But when she was up from her console, done with her cataloging and translations it was like the flood gates opened. She smiled and laughed easily. He noticed she was often in physical contact with her fellow students when she talked to them, touching their arms, giving a hug. This morning was no exception, she was chatting in Orion to her pretty green skinned friend and breezily touching the girls arm for emphasis as they walked.

Dr. Xelom, the colleague he was talking to said under his breath as Uhura walked by, "Your assistant is certainly...bubbly."

Uhura kissed her friend goodbye on the cheek, a happy smile on her face then entered Spock's lab. Dr. Xelom continued, "Its amazing there is a brain in there. How can you two possibly get along?" Spock had noticed that as Xelom said this his eyes were following a rather intimate piece of Uhura's anatomy.

Spock generally found talking to Dr. Xelom tiring, and now was no exception. The man ostensibly lived by logic and reason, but Spock found him to be one of the most illogical humans he had ever met. He was quick to take offense at rational criticism of his research and quick to criticize the work of others in unreasonable ways.

Spock wished the conversation to end, and replied matter of factly, "Our working relationship is very satisfactory, our skills complimentary. We spend a lot of time together, and I notice no friction in our personalities. I am not sure how this conversation relates to the study of Cadet Uhura's gluteus maximus."

Dr. Xelom sputtered then hastily excused himself.

Spock headed into his lab, hands in their characteristic position behind his back. When he entered the door he found that Uhura had not taken her seat or begun her tasks as usual. She was standing at attention, staring directly at him. She had not completely switched into her "on task" demeanor, and even for a Vulcan her emotional persona was easy to read. He reflected it actually made his life easier. "Cadet, you look surprised by something."

Her words seemed to shock her into her professional demeanor. "I am surprised, Lieutenant Spock. I couldn't help but thinking you were trying to get rid of Dr. Xelom out there."

Spock moved towards one of the simulators and checked to make sure the indicator lights were all on and nothing was amiss. "I was," he replied.

She sat down, observing him. "I didn't realize you understood human behavior so well."

"So well" he replied quoting her, "is not a quantifiable expression. I am trying to understand humans better. I still don't understand the impulse for his statements. Isn't it obvious that you would be competent, otherwise I would not have hired you? Is this some roundabout human way of questioning my reason and my logic?"

"I would say so. I would also say, he doesn't like you very much."

Spock said shortly, "I am Vulcan. Popularity is not my aim."

"I know, its not your aim. But I hope your research isn't affected by him. And I'd watch your back."

Spock was finding this conversation both wildly speculative and overly familiar from a subordinate. Cadet Uhura was very helpful to him, and very skilled, but only human. He would change the subject and let it slide.

"Cadet, did you finish yesterday's translations?"

"Sending to you now Lieutenant Spock."


	6. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock alert: If you think Spock is sweet, virginal and innocent you might want to stop right here.

From Spock's perspective all his statements to Xelom were true.

His and Uhura's skills were complimentary.

He also noticed no friction in their relationship--of course, he often didn't notice friction. He had gone through two previous assistants, both majoring in his field. They had cited "personal incompatibilities" and wished to find placements where there was a better "rapport". As Spock had never discussed anything personal with them whatsoever, he no idea that how they were able to determine that they were personally incompatible.

It was also true he and Uhura spent a lot of time together, anywhere from 20-25.5 hours a week, as he needed and/or her schedule would allow. Not all of this time was necessarily spent working. Sometimes there was free time between simulations which she would use to study, curling up on the couch at the back of the lab. Spock had not placed the couch there, it came with the lab. It was not actually in the way and didn't have any distressing, chaotic or gaudy colors (it was charcoal gray in fact) so it seemed a waste of effort to move it.

Besides his assistantship, which she took for credit, Uhura was taking three academic courses including his, participating in choir once a week and at scheduled intervals for recitals, and she maintained a physical fitness/combat training regimen three times a week as was required of cadets interested in space flight.

He kept track of all of her activities to know exactly when she would be available for his lab - it helped him run his experiments more efficiently.

So he was a bit surprised when he arrived at the lab on the 40th morning of Uhura's assistantship at 5 a.m. (as he often did) to find Uhura fast asleep on the couch. She had all hours access, so he wasn't surprised she got in. And he was familiar with the habit of students falling asleep in labs of course. Humans need more sleep than Vulcans, and Starfleet cadets were in general over scheduled and under rested-hence all labs tended to have a couch. Still, it would have been convenient if she had told him in advance she would be there. He might have had her run one more simulation before she nodded off.

She was the first assistant to fall asleep on said couch. He was a little unsure of the protocol in this situation. He sat down and swiveled a chair a few feet away from her to consider.

Should he wake her? He decided that he would not do this, if she was asleep, she probably needed the rest. She would perform her tasks better the next day if not sleepy. Also, she might startle, when he woke students in class they certainly did. He had no wish to create an uncomfortable situation.

Should he continue his experiments as planned? Turning on the lights might wake her...He decided affirmative on that. The lab's primary function was a lab, after all.

These questions settled Spock took a moment to indulge in just looking at her. He always thought she was very beautiful with her warm copper skin and black hair--and it had been a while since he had watched a human female sleep in an a manner that gave him the time and privacy to observe. Uhura was curled up on the couch, head resting on her PADD, hair still tightly pulled back, ear buds in place. She had a short jacket thrown over her shoulders and she looked a bit cold. She was wearing the standard short skirt Starfleet uniform with black hose. Her black boots were still on. Spock had heard many of the female instructors complain about the uniform, but from his current view point it did have its advantages.

There were rumors around campus that he was some sort of eunuch. He knew this, the pointy ears weren't just ornamental. These rumors were not true, although they did create a convenient camouflage for his personal activities when he'd had some.

He noticed Terran women, and Vulcan and Orion women for that matter too (Although Orion female's pheromones may have been useless on him, he could still appreciate their appearance). Unlike full blooded Vulcan's his attention was more constant--but unlike them he had as yet so far to undergo the effects that marked Pon Farr.

He'd come to see his less frenzied, but more constant human desire an advantage. In one sense it was something that he had more control over than his Vulcan brethren, and he had no shame about it. Desire was not something illogical or logical, it was simply natural. But Vulcans were private about such things and as a rule didn't discuss it. Nor would he ever make someone uncomfortable by staring at them in an inappropriate way. But Uhura was sound asleep, and observing her would do no harm.

So he sat watching her for exactly 30.5 seconds after he'd found her. He took in the curve of her waist as it met her hip. And followed her long legs from her boots to the shadows beneath the fall of her skirt.

Then he filed away the image for reflection later and moved to the front of the lab to begin his work. But he kept the lights down low.

At exactly 6:30 a.m. Cadet Uhura, raised her head and suddenly sat bolt upright. "Lieutenant Spock. I didn't know you arrived so early."

Spock looked up from where he was working. She looked dazed and disoriented, what was the protocol in these situations? "I don't need much sleep. At ease."

She wiped her face with her hands, "I'm sorry," she said, "Did I bother you?"

"No, you did not interfere with my work at all." He said turning back to what he was doing, "I only wish I'd known you'd be here last night, I'd have scheduled one more simulation to run. But perhaps this was an unscheduled incident?"

She looked at him, sitting now jacket in front of her.

"It wasn't exactly unscheduled," she said. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Every twenty days I sleep outside the dorm. My roommate is Orion...this was a lot more comfortable than the chair in the library." She paused and added, "And it felt more secure."

Spock looked at her with understanding, "Indeed. Perhaps though you should report her to the head of the dormitory and find a more suitable roommate?"

Uhura suddenly seemed to wake up, "Oh, no, she is a great roommate. She is smart, and funny, I get fantastic practice in Orion. And she is warm and affectionate--the Orions are more like people are where I come from, with the obvious exception of, you know."

Spock nodded, he and the entire galaxy knew about Orions.

Uhura continued, "You probably find people here in San Francisco to be terribly demonstrative and physical. But compared to Africa, people here are actually very cold. Where I am from you greet all your friends and acquaintances with a bone crushing hug, or at least a hand shake coupled with a squeeze on the shoulder--and usually a peck on the cheek. I actually find the lack of emotional warmth here in San Francisco a little stressful sometimes...Its nice to go home and get a friendly hug when I need one."

"I see," Spock said, not really seeing, but accepting it as out of his culture and deciding to take her word for it.

"What I'm saying is, I hope you won't report her. She is what she is, and I don't mind bending a little bit."

"I would not report her in any case...but especially not if you feel she improves your psychological well-being. Should I plan on you being here every twenty days then?"

Uhura stood up and straightened her clothes, "Yes, this is a lot better than the library..."

"Good, I'll revise my simulation schedules. Oh, and Cadet Uhura,"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"You might want to keep a pillow and a blanket or two in the cabinet in the back. You looked cold."

 


	7. Breakdown

For 170 days after that incident Spock and Uhura maintained what Spock regarded as a very successful professional relationship. Both went about their tasks in the lab in a way that he regarded as most satisfactory--that is they didn't talk much and they stayed out of each others way. His research surged ahead of schedule.

On day 171 everything changed.

Meditating on it later, Spock realized it probably wasn't one little thing, but a whole host of things which caused him to have a stunning lapse of judgment and control.

It was exactly seven days after spring final exams. Spock had given Uhura the week of exams off on the condition that she make up the time in the week after. They'd spent the whole week in close proximity, but that wasn't the cause of the lapse. In fact Spock hardly thought he'd noticed.

On the evening before day 171 Uhura had taken refuge from the activities of her Orion roommate and spent the night in the lab. Spock had indulged in his usual 30.5 seconds of admiring her while she slept. She had taken him up on the advice to keep a blanket and a pillow, so his admiration was a bit more confined, but still...

Of course this had happened many times before, so that really wasn't the cause.

The real trouble started at 3 pm in the afternoon on Uhura's last day before leaving to visit her family for two weeks. There was a power surge in the department and one of his subspace transmitters blew a fuse in the midst of a simulation. Spock immediately called maintenance to get help, and was told he would have to wait approximately 3.5 days before anyone could be there to fix it.

Spock pondered the newly non-functional large rectangular black box with the emitter array at the center. It was about 1 meter tall, and three quarters of a meter wide in both directions. It was too heavy to lift without assistance. "Can you fix it Lieutenant?" Uhura asked him.

"Internal diagnostics show that the fuse in question is underneath, a shocking flaw in the design. Not to mention, why didn't the surge protector mediate the power surge?"

Uhura, looked at the transmitter, "It is really old. You know, I've become pretty close to the other aides in the labs. These things happen--most of them keep tools around so they don't have to rely on the maintenance union. If you think you can fix it I can probably get them to loan us their gear."

"That sounds much preferable to waiting three days. Lets go."

If Uhura had gone alone to pick up the tools, she might have come back with several male assistants in tow, eager to show off their skills in electronic repair. But the male aids on seeing Spock blanched a little – he'd been told that working under his supervision had a tendency to make cadets nervous. They quickly handed over the tools Spock would need, but didn't offer to give any assistance.

So Spock was left to fix it himself with Uhura's help -- which he thought would be minimal. As talented a linguist as she was, she was definitely not experienced with hardware and seemed to have no natural inclination for it either.

Jacking up the signal transmitter he found that the board with the damaged fuse actually came out fairly easily -- there were just a few clips to disengage and two wires to disconnect. He was able to pull the board out from underneath and do the repair at his work station.

It was putting it back that proved to be the problem. The wires that had disengaged so easily when he'd taken out the electrical board did not slip as easily back into place. Laying on his back underneath the transmitter he was trying to hold up the part and slip his fingers around the board itself to engage the wires above…all while holding small flashlight in his mouth. It wasn't working.

"Cadet Uhura," he called, "Would you come under here and hold the flashlight."

In only a few seconds she had joined him underneath the heavy black box. Her small frame was just inches away from his and he was suddenly acutely aware that it had been a long time since he'd been physically intimate with a human female; he studiously did not count the days, or was it years now?

Feeling a twinge of annoyance at her for making him cognizant of this he did his best not to show it. It wasn't logical to lay the blame for his discomfort on something beyond her control.

"Hold it this way Cadet, no more to the left, more to the right. Okay, yes there." He moved his fingers around the board...and failed to connect any of the wires.

He saw Uhura lick her lips out of the corner of his eye as if preparing to say something, and he stifled more irritation. Did humans have to be so expressive? "Lieutenant, my hands are smaller, I think I can reattach the wires."

Since he was getting nowhere there was only one logical response, "By all means, Cadet, make an attempt."

"Here, hold the flashlight," she replied her small finger tips grazing his own as she placed it in his hands.

Spock wasn't a particularly strong contact telepath, but fingertip to fingertip touch was enough even for him to receive a flash of her physiological state and emotions. Particularly her most immediate emotion. She was as cognizant of their close proximity as he was -- but she was not at all annoyed, in fact...He felt himself flush. Couldn't humans keep these things to themselves?

"I think I've got the first wire connected," she said smiling and looking side ways at him. He managed to nod for her to continue. He was in a very uncomfortable state of being both aroused and annoyed simultaneously -- and of course betrayed neither.

She slid her hands around the board to the next wire. The light was useless to her now, the connection she needed to make was completely hidden by the board itself, she would have to finish the task by touch alone. Flashlight unneeded now Spock could move but instead just watched her as she closed her eyes and concentrated, her tongue flicking lightly on her lips.

"Got it!" She said opening her eyes and turned her head to flash him a brilliant smile. He glared at her with one lifted eyebrow for just a few seconds too long, and then ran his hands around all the clips to make sure the board was secure.

"Let us begin the diagnostics," was all he said.

Once the diagnostic tests proved their repair job to be a success, they began making up for lost time.

At 7 PM Commander Sharpton came in. "You're still here," she said. It wasn't a question and Spock wasn't certain how to respond to rhetorical comments. Both he and Uhura were engaged in a critical point of preparing the next simulation, they couldn't come to attention but Uhura responded, "Good evening, Commander. Yes, the signal transmitter blew a fuse and we lost some time fixing it, but we're almost caught up now."

Sharpton smiled at her, "Aren't you supposed to be in Africa?"

"Tomorrow," Uhura replied, "I already packed--staying a little later isn't going to do me any harm."

The Commander looked back at Spock, "I noticed that you've been moving ahead of schedule over the last few months. How did that happen?"

Spock replied quite honestly, barely looking up from his console, "Cadet Uhura has proved most efficient at cataloging and organizing data, and she has helped run simulations on occasions I am not available. I am ahead of schedule and will be finishing and submitting my paper for review before the end of the summer recess."

"That's impressive," said Doris, more to Uhura than to Spock. Then she turned to the Vulcan and said, "Let's talk," and she strode into his office without a backward glance. Spock pushed a final button and followed her.

As soon as they were alone and out of earshot Commander Sharpton turned and looked at him, "Lieutenant, it is often customary to show appreciations for assistants by providing them with a meal occasionally, and especially after a job well done or on their last day."

Spock blinked, "I am sure that Cadet Uhura would prefer to spend tonight resting up for her trip tomorrow."

The Commander looked at him and sighed, "Spock, she is the only assistant that you've managed to keep...and she's put you over two months ahead of schedule. Try to keep her. Ask her out to dinner, or a drink, or something."

"Well, if it is customary..." Spock had said.

Doris rolled her eyes and walked out of the office. She turned briefly to the Cadet as she strode out of the room and said, "Have a nice break, Uhura."

"Thank you, Commander," Uhura replied, but the Doris was already out the door and down the hall.

Spock followed her out of the office and watched her leave the lab, then he turned to Uhura and said in his normal clipped tone, "Cadet, would you like to get something to eat?"

Vulcan's try not to let tiny irritations get them down, nonetheless he was a trifle annoyed when Uhura responded immediately and enthusiastically. "Yes! That would be great!" He had wanted to start writing his paper that evening.

All the campus facilities were closed, and the nearby bars that served food were packed due to a soccer match between Earth and Mars Colony 2, so Spock took Uhura to a Thai place he was familiar with near his apartment--it was clean, the service had always been respectable, and the menu offered him more than French fries.

He hadn't meant to, but he managed to impress Uhura overly much with his choice. "It's beautiful," she declared. "The traditional furniture and art is so lovely. And the food is wonderful. I'm so glad we're not just getting beer and pizza."

Spock made a mental note that this comment probably meant beer and pizza would be more appropriate for these sorts of occasions.

The conversation wasn't too painful. She maintained her professional demeanor, and the food provided a safe topic for discussion. Uhura asked him about the Earth cuisines he'd tried, and what places he'd visited. Spock did his best not to be to curt when she asked him questions, and to ask all the polite questions he thought were appropriate about her courses, her family and upcoming vacation.

And then just as they were leaving the restaurant the game got out. Trying to avoid the packed street Spock took her wrist and guided her towards an alley he often used to avoid crowds. This was acceptable physical contact as it served to keep them from being separated. He dropped said wrist discreetly once they were out of the herd's way.

The alternate route was the next circumstance that Spock might have believed fate had contrived specifically against him--if he'd been a full human of the sort that believed in this sort of thing.

They'd only walked about half a block when three rough looking humans stepped out of door in front of them. It was evident they were inebriated, and had probably just finished watching the game. They saw Uhura, and began to whistle. And then they noticed Spock, or rather, then they noticed Spock wasn't human. The taunts began immediately.

"Hey, look, she's got herself a pointy eared Martian."

"Hey honey, didn't you know, we just beat the Martian's 3-0."

"...Yeah, what are you doing with this pointy eared loser."

After enduring a childhood of similar taunts Spock did not like to reward tormentors with an emotional response. He kept walking forward, hands now behind his back, Uhura marched right next to him, head held high, matching his steps exactly. That was commendable, but after mentally calculating the odds that there would be physical conflict he held up an arm and pushed her back a step. He didn't want her in the way. As a human female who weighed maybe 46 kg and stood less than 162.56 cm tall he didn't think she'd be much help--nor did he think he'd need it. As way as explanation he said, "There are only three of them, and they are also very inebriated."

They were now less than five feet from the trio and of course this comment was overheard.

"Only three of us? Only three of us pointy ears? Can't you count? Three is more than two and I don't think your girlie is going to do you much good in this fight."

At this point Spock felt Uhura start to move forward, but Spock stops her by saying calmly, "Cadet, we want to make sure if and when we fight it is only in self defense."

"Oh, so you want a chance to defend yourselves," the largest of the trio said. "I can give you that."

And then without preamble he aimed a fist at Spock's jaw. Spock stepped out of the way, but let the blow graze him just a bit on the mouth. He tasted a little blood and knew there would be swelling. He felt immensely relieved that force was now justified. With one blow to the chin he knocked the first man out cold. At seeing his friend go down one of the other members of the trio rushed forward. Spock grabbed one of the on-rushing man's arms, neatly stepped aside and used the man's own momentum to spin him around. He had the would-be assailant's back pressed against his chest and his arm in an armlock. Spock briefly considered letting him go, but delivered a Vulcan nerve pinch instead. He really had no desire to draw this out.

The third man had been hooting for his buddies, but after watching the second member of his group go down he abruptly went silent. Then he threw up.

Spock put his arms behind his back and looked back at Uhura. Her face did not show any fear, only surprise mixed with wonder. "I'm sorry," she said, "That happened so fast, I wasn't any help."

Spock still wasn't sure how someone so petite could have been much assistance, but he decided not to point that out. Instead he said, "That is quite alright. As I said, there were only three of them, and they were quite inebriated. Let us leave. The smell here is rapidly getting more unpleasant." He stepped over the two men on the ground, avoiding the third still retching companion.

"Right." Uhura said following after him. As she caught up with his stride she said, "He hit you."

"I am aware of that, Cadet." Spock replied. Why did humans insist on stating the obvious? His outward demeanor hadn't changed but he could feel his heart beating faster, and the taste of adrenaline mixed with the blood in his mouth. He would like the opportunity to sit down and meditate, physiology he knew could overcome psychology and he might wind up behaving irrationally.

Then Uhura spoke again, "Don't you think you should put some ice on that?"

"That is not necessary, Cadet."

"Lieutenant, I really think we should put some ice on it."

"I'll be fine," he replied not breaking his stride.

"Please," she implored, "Wouldn't you like to just sit down for a moment and relax? Maybe there is someplace around here where we could get an ice pack..."

She placed a hand on his arm and Spock stopped short, then looked at her and watched with an odd sort of detachment as she moved her hand tentatively up as though to touch his face. He could hear her heart beating rapidly, and see a faint flush spread on her cheeks.

Then he made another mistake. Almost unconsciously he raised his own hand to move her offending hand to the side. He should have grabbed her wrist, but instead he lifted his open palm and touched her fingertips against his own, he'd wonder later if it were a Freudian slip of sorts. He moved her hand away with a bit of a scowl, but the damage was done. He felt genuine concern, but it was laced with the physical desire he'd felt earlier.

And then logic betrayed him. It was  _logical_ to sit down for a minute, get his own rushing blood under control. A swollen lip was painful. It was  _logical_  to take steps to avoid additional pain. And even if he was very attracted to the young human female in front of him and she was attracted to him it didn't  _logically_  follow that anything would come of it -- in fact that assumption was expressly _illogical_ , the "slippery slope" fallacy -- there was a Latin word for it, but it escaped him at that moment. And suddenly there was no internal conflict.

"It would be good to sit down and meditate for a few minutes. And an ice pack would be useful. My quarters are close by; we can stop by just for a moment."

They went up to his apartment. She commented that she was surprised he lived off campus, and he said something about liking the privacy that living off campus provided and the access to better food -- she laughed at that which made her even prettier, but of course he hadn't been joking, just stating the facts. Then when they entered his door and slipped of their shoes, she told him to sit down she'd get the ice. He sat gratefully down at one corner of his couch and tried to take stock of himself. He found himself wondering how she could know her way around his kitchen without being given a formal tour, but she came back in just a few minutes with an ice pack. It made him wonder if Vulcans and humans arranged their kitchens in similar fashions due to some convergent evolution.

She sat down beside him, slightly at an angle and very tenderly dabbed his lip with a cloth, "You're bleeding a little bit," she explained. There was he realized, no regulation against a student dabbing blood away from an instructors lips. And she was completely unfazed by emerald blood. That was appreciated. Then she gently held up the ice pack and pressed it to his swollen mouth and it was  _logical_  to take her wrist and use it to guide her hand to exactly where it should be, and if he gently began stroking her wrists there wasn't any specific regulation against that. Granted, it would be against the Vulcan code of conduct but he wasn't on Vulcan, was only half Vulcan, he was unbound, and no Vulcans were watching...

And then all rational thought broke down. The part of him that felt desire as acutely as any human 26 year old male had grabbed hold of the strings of logic and used it against him, and then when he needed logic that same part of him let go of the strings of reason completely.

He pulled her wrists down from his face, and pressed his forehead against hers. His Vulcan ears could detect her elevated heart beat -- or maybe it was his. He kissed her very gently and she responded, equally gentle, a little bit timid. He brought his hands up to her face and stroked her cheeks -- but not with his fingertips, with the back of his hands. The kiss ended, too quickly for him. She pressed her forehead against his. Was she hesitating? That was not how it was supposed to go. Maybe he was supposed to say something?

And here he made what he wasn't sure was the worst choice of the day, or oddly the best. He turned the palm of one his hands around and touched her forehead with two fingertips. He couldn't say he wanted her with words, but he could show her in ways that had worked before. It wasn't a mind meld. Nothing as drastic as that, more of a mind touch. He let his  _want_ slip through his fingers into her mind. She moaned and he let his free hand drop to her waist and pull her onto his lap. She let him guide her without protest.

He took his fingertips away and she seemed to stiffen, so he flicked them back to her temple. Her body went soft again, she sighed a little and kissed him deeply and eagerly...and then did something Spock hadn't expected from a human. Her mind reached back through that connection in his fingertips, he could feel her surveying his lust and felt her own build. This was unexpected and very, very good, Spock pulled her closer and kissed her harder. She responded with her body and her mind, physically she was pushing more closely against him, mentally she was looking for something, but he couldn't discern what it was, the connection wasn't deep enough.

And then suddenly Spock felt her realize that whatever she was looking for wasn't there. And it hurt her and her pain hurt Spock too.

Her body stiffened, she turned cold and the coldness spread from her to him through his fingers. It was like a bucket of ice water had been dropped over them both. Their lips and arms disengaged, she started to tremble and awkwardly pulled herself away to the other corner of the couch. She pulled her feet underneath her, and wrapped her arms around herself, but there were no tears in her eyes.

Spock tried to assess her emotional condition, a task he wholly unqualified for he realized. She didn't look angry, only a little sad he thought. He didn't know what to say, he only tilted his head in her direction.

Finally, she broke the silence, "I am an abstraction to you...a pretty human girl who works in your lab. You have no feelings for me at all." Her words were spoken completely without emotion.

 


	8. Absolution

 

After a few moments of silence she put her hands over her face and groaned, "What was I thinking looking for emotion from a Vulcan? I can't believe I was so stupid!"

At last here was a comment Spock felt qualified to respond to. "I hardly think you have a monopoly on poor judgment this evening."

She looked at him and he was surprised to see a slight smile on her face, "Don't worry, Lieutenant, I won't report you. Please don't mention my untoward advances in your grade report."

"That will not happen, Cadet. I already turned your grades in."

They were both completely silent for several minutes.

"Lieutenant," she said finally, "Do you think the crowds are gone outside now?"

Spock got up and went to the window, "They appear to have dispersed."

"Would you please walk me home? I don't want to take a shuttle, I think I really would like some air."

He tilted his head. He was aware he had hurt her, and as his head cleared his own fault in the situation was weighing on him. It seemed appropriate to give her some new deference. "Of course, Cadet."

They both walked looking straight ahead. Spock's hands behind his back. Uhura's arms wrapped around herself. Their pace back to Starfleet was slow, and their path wasn't straight or logical, but after the events of the evening Spock didn't feel it was appropriate to point out any logical failings. The conversation also wandered in directions Spock was not comfortable with, but he felt compelled to participate.

"So that time you cut down Xelium for essentially calling me an empty headed ninny and staring at my butt, there was no protective chivalry there?" Uhura asked.

"I just found his comments illogical, I wished him to depart."

"Your comments about me to Commander Sharpton..."

"Were simply the facts."

"Protecting me in the alley?" she asked.

"I would have done it for anyone," he responded.

"The romantic Thai restaurant?"

"It was romantic?"

Uhura laughed softly. "I guess someone who isn't romantic wouldn't have noticed." Then she continued, "And all those times you'd look over me when I slept?"

Spock blinked in surprise, "I was not aware you noticed that. You are aesthetically pleasing. I was merely appreciating."

"Ahhh....honest lust," Uhura said.

She was silent for a few minutes. "When you reached out and bumped against my mind, was that a mind meld?"

"No," said Spock. "A mind meld is much more intense--and dangerous. We are contact telepaths. It's almost difficult not to over hear or transmit thoughts when our fingertips touch a temple or a hand."

She was silent for a few moments, then she said with a flash of understanding, "So when we were under the transmitter, and our fingers touched, you knew what I was thinking."

"Not your thoughts precisely, no, but your physiological state was...apparent," Spock replied, beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable at the memory.

"I'm sorry," said Uhura.

"There is no need to apologize," replied Spock.

Uhura was silent for a few minutes. "It was very powerful," and here she looked at him slyly, "...the mind bump. But then I had this feeling it was a calculated move. You've done that before to other Terran girls haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Not other students?" Uhura asked, her voice suddenly worried.

Spock himself was startled by the question, "Normally I'd find that question out of line." He almost sighed, "but after my actions tonight it seems fair and reasonable." He paused, "No, no other students."

"You didn't feel anything for the other Terrans either, did you?" she asked, with just a touch of sadness in her voice.

"I appreciated the physical release. There were also some intelligent and stimulating conversations..."

"But you didn't care when they were gone."

"I wasn't bonded. Without a physical relationship I find I have a lot more time to devote to work, it makes my life easier. Which is why I haven't pursued anything more in a long time."

"And they liked the mind bump?"

"It had a decidedly different outcome in previous situations. You were the first to bump back."

Uhura sighed, "What can I say, I've been trying to get into alien minds my whole life."

A sudden thought hit Spock, "So were our experiences tonight an experiment?" He asked out of pure intellectual curiosity, he felt no anger or sadness.

She scowled a little and then said slowly, "I hadn't really thought of that. Maybe a little bit...I'm sorry. You do have other appealing qualities beyond your pointy ears you know." But she didn't elaborate.

They walked in silence for a long time. Then Uhura spoke, "Lieutenant Spock, would you mind keeping me on as your assistant after the summer break?"

The question hadn't even arisen in Spock's mind, but now that she asked he wasn't sure if there was some protocol for these situations. Since he knew no protocol he decided that logically weighing the options was the best solution; he deduced this knowing quite well his own logic's recent sabotage of his better judgment.

Cadet Uhura would doubtlessly help him maintain his accelerated pace. And after feeling the coldness in her mind as they broke their embrace he didn't think he would be unduly tempted again.

"I think you would be very valuable in my continuing research, Cadet. You are welcome to stay on."

She smiled, "Thank you. I find your research very interesting. And I've come to understand the hardware as well as the theory behind subspace and non-subspace transmissions much better since working for you. Our Xenolinguist requirements seems woefully inadequate when it comes to understanding subspace signals--we really should have more experience in the practical and theoretical underpinnings of something that effects our discipline so much."

Spock raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I agree completely. I was not aware that you or any of your fellow students felt that way. Mostly all I hear is grumblings about the class."

"We grumble because its difficult. It is outside our comfort level. That doesn't mean we shouldn't know more. If I stay on as your assistant it will greatly increase my chances of getting a position aboard my starship."

"Your starship?" Spock asked genuinely confused.

"The Enterprise. She'll be done by the time I graduate. She will be the best ship in the fleet, and she'll only get the best personnel. My Xenolinguist skills are top notch, but I'll be green. If I have experience with the hardware and physics of subspace signal transmitters and other frequency receiving devices I will really stand out--I'll have a shot."

The sun was rising now and they were approaching the Golden Gate Bridge and the lawn of the Starfleet Academy campus. For a few more minutes they said nothing, then Spock broke the silence. He was troubled by the telepathic touch he'd used earlier. It had hurt her and he was beginning to think it may have been unethical, he needed to acknowledge that he had done something wrong.

"Cadet Uhura, earlier tonight, when we touched minds if you felt manipulated, I apologize. And I am sorry that my lack of," he paused looking for an appropriate word, "my lack of affection hurt you."

Uhura stopped walking, and he too stopped and turned towards her. She looked up at him and her face was more serene than he'd ever seen it. "It's alright. In a way it was one of the most honest attempts at seduction I've ever received. And...you should never have to feel ashamed or guilty for what you feel, or what you don't feel." She shrugged her shoulders after she spoke and neither of them moved for a few minutes.

Spock in fact couldn't move. Something washed through him at that moment when she said those last few words.

Among Vulcans, his own father included, he was made to feel as though his emotions were undesirable, and shameful. Not intentionally of course. Vulcan's have feelings and acknowledge them inwardly, but don't express them outwardly. Spock's more human less Vulcan control over his emotions had resulted in outward displays of feeling--and the end result was shame over the emotions that prompted this lack of control.

From his mother he'd always received positive acknowledgment of his emotions, but there was pressure there too. Sometimes he simply did not have the feelings she expected him to have. He really was not upset when he did not hear from her or his father for months on end. He loved them both, but he didn't precisely miss them. He did not need to hear his mother tell him she loved him, or for her to tell him that his father loved him. He knew these things.

The small human rituals of empathy and understanding that his mother always wanted, and now his human colleagues expected, were confusing and frustrating to him simply because he could not feel the motivations for these rituals.

And now here was Cadet Uhura, who he had hurt with his lack of emotion, telling him it was alright to feel and  _not_ to feel. What had she said about her Orion roomate? She is what she is. Uhura accepted Orions and half human half Vulcans trying to come to terms with their identities for what they were, not out of some human construct of what she thought they should be.

It was an absolution for Spock, and he loved her for it instantly.

He regained control of his movements and acknowledged this sudden outpouring of feeling by inclining his head.

"I'm fine on my own from here," Uhura said, breaking his reverie.

"I will see you in two weeks then," Spock responded. She turned and made her way across the lawn, now sparkling in the sunlight with dew. He watched her until she disappeared into a building he supposed was a dorm.

As he turned to make his way home he considered that he would need to meditate quite a while on the ramifications of the evening. In the meantime he thought he might as well get to work on his paper.


	9. Starting Over

 

The good thing about having a well defined professional relationship without the burdens of emotional conversations is that it is very easy to slip back into. When Uhura came back all their routines were the same. Uhura was her same professional, cool self. If she felt any discomfort over what had happened she did not show it.

The problem for Spock was this professional distance was no longer was adequate. He was cognizant his feelings for the Cadet had changed. He thought perhaps they could be channeled into friendship. This seemed the most logical choice and desirable on many levels. At Starfleet it was completely acceptable for a cadet to have a superior officer as a close friend and mentor. And among Vulcan's an association of mentor and friend was also acceptable, even encouraged.

And perhaps it would justify spending more time with her, preferably outside the lab. He did not wish anything to detract from the progress of his research.

He didn't completely know how to go about initiating this change between them. He made small gestures.

As Uhura started to leave on her first day back he looked up from the console he was working at and suddenly remembered there was a human nicety he has forgotten.

"Cadet," he says, "I think I was supposed to ask you how your trip went?"

She paused looking puzzled and then smiled, "It would be considered a polite question, but not obligatory."

"How was your trip?"

"It was fine."

"Good."

They both looked at each other for a moment, then Uhura nodded and turned to go. He turned back to his console.

He also made a gesture that was not so small for an efficiency minded Vulcan. On her fifth day back he realized that she would be spending the night in the library. He knew that this was uncomfortable for her, and he was uncomfortable knowing that was not the most secure sleeping arrangement. Also he suspected she wouldn't be as productive if she had a bad nights sleep -- the practical and the emotional are not mutually exclusive.

He rearranged his schedule and let it be known that he won't be in the lab until 7:30 the next day (she was always out the door by 6:45). The lab would be all hers if she'd like to spend the night there.

When he let her know this she gave him a confused look and then said, "You're afraid a stiff neck will hamper my productivity aren't you?"

This wasn't his whole intent, but true enough. "Indeed," he said, raising an eyebrow.

The next morning when he arrived the lab was empty. He was not sure if she has been there, but found himself inexplicably looking at the empty couch for exactly 30.5 seconds.


	10. Flashes of Light

It was a change in their professional relationship that finally offered Spock the opportunity to change their personal relationship.

Spock and Cadet Uhura were in the lab calibrating equipment for the next phase of research. They had translated enough subspace signatures of known sentient languages to move on to Phase II of his project, the practical application. He needed to develop equations to strip natural occurring subspace noise (the solar gossip as Uhura called it) from sentient chatter.

To do this he needed to work backwards. He goal was to take sentient subspace signals and generate in simulation mode what that pure signal would look like without the interference of natural noise. Then he planned to take live radio signals that would be affected by this sentient subspace message and create a map of all the subspace signals natural and sentient in origin. Where there was overlap he planned to strip out the data, and use the remainder to generate his equations.

The morning on the tenth day after the Cadet's return the two of them were sitting in front of a 3D monitor. Spock touched the console and suddenly blue dots of light sprung up before them.

It had come to his attention that Uhura had to be re-evaluated for fluency every semester in order to avoid taking her prerequisite language courses, and she had admitted to him that in humans disuse of a language, even a native language, could lead to a decline in proficiency. So they had begun speaking xenolanguages around the lab. It was a mental game that Spock found quite stimulating. He also found he could easily justify it as Uhura would be monitoring all of the subspace signals they would be using in simulation--he needed her skills to be sharp.

It was for this reason that he began his explanation of the hologram in the harsh guttural tongue of Klingon, " _These blue dots represent the simulation of a pure signal of an Andorian newscast sent to Lixing 5 on a day without any significant solar activity._ "

He touched the console again and a sea of green dots emerged before them and the blue disappeared, in place of the blue was now bright white light.

He continued,  _"Where you see the green and white, that is what we get when we generate a map of subspace signals from radio frequencies. The green are the natural occurring signals, the white illuminates where the green and blue have overlapped and delineates the sentient signal. Notice there is no more blue in this hologram. If there was we would know that the live signals did not correspond to the simulated signals and we had failed in our experiment."_

Sliding over in his chair he quickly touched another console. Another hologram of blue shot up. He touched another button and the hologram turned to green and yellow again, but here the green dots were so thick they looked like pure green light.  _"This is a hologram of a signal received during a solar flare. Notice the density of the natural signals. You see the blue dots again have completely disappeared here as well."_

 _"This visual display of the data is worthy of awe,"_ Uhura commented.

Spock considered her choice of words. She was saying the display of data was beautiful, but the Klingon equivalent of 'beautiful' pertained only to members of the opposite sex and weaponry. Her choice of 'worthy of awe' fitted the context of their discussion perfectly. He nodded his head.  _"Acknowledged."_  The Klingon word was harsh, but he noted had connotations of both "Thank you" and "I agree".

_"I have a question that does not pertain directly to the current objective."_

_"Proceed."_

_"I was not aware that Vulcans would want or require visual representations of mathematical information. Or that they would conceive of such abstractions as worthy of awe."_

He considered the question, it was off topic, but insightful. He choose to respond,  _"Vulcans do not need the visual representation, but it is often faster, even for us, to quickly understand data that has been rendered visually."_ He continued,  _"Effective visual representations increases comprehension and efficiency, that alone is worthy of awe."_

 _"Acknowledged. That is a fascinating insight into Vulcan culture."_  She continued,  _"A short observation that does not pertain to the current objective."_

_"Very well."_

_"The delicacy of our discussion does not fit this tongue. It sounds as though we are engaged in verbal combat."_ She said knitting her eyebrows together a bit in her effort to form the harsh words.

_"True."_

At that moment Commander Sharpton, Lieutenant-Commander O'Hara and Professor Xelium walked in. Uhura and Spock stood up at attention.

"Ah, I see we have interrupted a lovers quarrel," Xelium said dryly.

Spock raised an eyebrow and shot back equally dryly, "Today we are speaking Klingon."

This earned Spock a glare from Xelium he could not comprehend. O'Hara seemed to be stifling a laugh. One side of Commander Sharpton's lips tweaked upwards.

Xelium turned and continued as though Spock wasn't even in the room, "You know he'll have half the audience asleep before he even steps onto the podium." He nodded once to Doris and O'Hara and then left the room.

Doris turned to Spock. "Lieutenant Spock, you're presenting at the Subspace Physics Symposium Starfleet is hosting two weeks from now. Commander Choi had to cancel. Your recent paper has been so well received that you were selected to replace him. Some people have hurt feelings...and not just Xelium. Don't let me down. O'Hara fill him in on the details." And then she was gone too.

Spock looked at O'Hara, and asked with a straight face, "What did Professor Xelium mean when he said that half the audience would fall asleep?"

Uhura looked down at her feet. O'Hara scratched the back of his neck, and flushed a bit before responding, "Most humans have a preconceived notion of Vulcans presentations as...dry. There may be some who have a certain Pavlovian response to seeing a Vulcan step up to the podium..."

Spock didn't even blink. "What are the technical specifics of the presentation?"

After O'Hara supplied Spock with all the technical information the Lieutenant-Commander very gently asked the Vulcan, "I know you probably can't show any passion for your subject matter in your presentation, but I guess there isn't any chance you could...lighten it up a bit?"

Spock only raised an eyebrow.

As soon as he left Spock said in a short clipped tone without looking at the Cadet, "The numbers should speak for themselves. I do not understand this human desire to interject feeling into something that has nothing to do with emotion. Nor do I understand the need for constant entertainment."

"May I offer an obervation Lieutenant?"

"By all means, Cadet," he responded, still looking out the door O'Hara had just exited.

Uhura was still standing at attention, her gaze was fixed on a point on the wall straight ahead. She took a deep breath and began slowly, "I've actually thought the respect for feeling in matters of logic as evolutionary. Humans are not telepathic like Vulcans. I know that you aren't telepathically bound to all your fellow Vulcans, but you are to some, correct? Friends? Spouses? Parents maybe? Your literature isn't entirely clear. With your closest associates you don't need to  _show_  feeling to let them know they are important, or that  _something_ is important, your telepathic connections make it possible for them just to _know_."

"Maybe you've lost the need to communicate feelings verbally for anything because the most important people in your lives don't  _need_ to be told. I know, I know, you gave up the outward displays of emotion voluntarily due to the teachings of Surak. But maybe it is Vulcan biology of telepathy that  _allowed_  this philosophy to take root. Or maybe it is Vulcan biology that  _caused_  Surak's philosophies to take root."

"Cadet, I fail to see how questioning the central ethos of my people has anything to with this discussion," he said it calmly and cooly, but her statements were very nearly blasphemy.

Up until now her voice had been cool detached, and studied professional. Now she turned her head to look him directly in the eyes, her jaw clenched, and the next words came out almost a whisper, "That is because I'm not finished yet."

She was furious, even Spock could see it. He found it oddly fascinating. Of course if she had not reached the crux of her argument he needed to hear her out.

"Proceed, then," he replied.

"Maybe human's don't follow Surak's teachings because ultimately we  _can't._  We have to over communicate our internal emotional landscapes, not just to those closest to us, but to  _everyone._

"And to be receptive to the emotions of others we've developed empathy, to the point where in the course of ordinary personal interactions we  _can't shut it off_. If a speaker shows no feeling our natural, empathetic reaction is to believe they have no feelings for the subject matter. And if the speaker has no emotion for their subject matter our natural biological reaction is to deduce the subject is not important to us."

Uhura had almost, not quite shouted these last few lines. But then she composed herself again and said in a softer more controlled voice, "You may think it inferior, and it may or may not be. But that doesn't change the fact that it just is."

Her eyes were boring into his. He didn't flinch. What she had just proposed was unorthodox, but it was internally consistent, it was novel, and she'd managed to turn emotions into something almost logical. Yes, there were reasons he felt the way he did about her.

And he suddenly realized she was also, in a very intellectual way, touching on a very personal subject. She let Vulcans be Vulcans even if it hurt a bit, she was telling him to let humans be humans, with all their irrationalities.

He couldn't quite bring himself to acknowledge this subtext out loud. Instead he said, "Cadet, your analysis fails to consider we accepted the teachings of Surak because we had to. But you pose some interesting, if not easily proven, hypothesis."

He suddenly could not stand to see her standing at attention. He moved back to the chair he was sitting on earlier, and said, "Please, sit down." She obliged him.

He said softly almost tiredly, "You know I cannot give an impassioned presentation, even if I wished to do so."

All the anger washed out of her face, "I know."


	11. Work Arounds

"So are you saying I am predestined to put half the audience to sleep before I even begin to speak?" He was not angry. Only curious.

"No." And she looked sideways at him with a bit of a smile starting to slip across her face. "Luckily for you we  _do_  like to be entertained."

An eyebrow shot up on Spock's face, "I'm not sure of the connotations of this..."

"You don't have to be any one you're not, it can all be completely within character." She turned back to the holograms he'd created earlier, "I think if you incorporated more visuals like these, maybe with a little more contrast -- I wish you'd used them in class. They explain the subject matter so simply and so beautifully, and I think they would appeal to both a human and Vulcan audience, probably Orion and Andorian as well, perhaps not so much to Gorn..."

"Maybe you only think they are beautiful because you are an exceptional human?" Spock asked. It really was just meant as a question. Was her reaction to the holograms unusual? Would other humans respond the same way to dots of light? But there must have been a human way of interpreting the question he doesn't quite understand because she froze in place for a moment, obviously uncomfortable.

"Proceed," he added quickly.

She continued, "The display of quantitative information can be beautiful even for humans, and it can make comprehension faster even for Vulcans as you said earlier. It might also make the material accessible to generalists --there always are some at these gatherings, without diluting it for the specialists."

"Agreed," Spock said, and he did agree. It would be unorthodox, and might raise some curiosity among Vulcans in the audience, but he believed he could explain it as "speaking the language of the audience".

"Anything else?" he asked.

She paused and began slowly, "Well, in human presentations it is usually considered good form to cut the tension, to engage the audience, and to make sure that they are not asleep..." another long pause, "...by starting off with a joke."

Now both of Spock's eyebrows shot up, "You do know what the Vulcan reaction would be if I were to make a..." he took a short breath, " _joke?_ " This was just not done. Not in public. Hardly in private. He was beginning to learn the merits of humor for humans--what did Uhura say, it was for "cutting tension." But it was something most Vulcans simply wouldn't understand.

She nodded, "Yes, they will think you are insane. But we have a work around."

Then she was really smiling Spock noted, ear to ear in fact.

"Do you have something specific in mind?"

"Yes."

After she told him he paused to consider. He wasn't qualified to judge the levity of her suggestion, she had said his deadpan delivery would make it funny, but he did appreciate the sly way it would work around Vulcan's in the audience. "I will consider the use of humor to 'wake up the crowd' as you say, but I accept the suggestion of adding suitable visual imagery.

"We must go look at the auditorium now...Lieutenant-Commander O'Hara's technical specifics were inadequate, he didn't even supply the square footage of the background screen, the cubic circumference of the holoscopes, or even the distance from the stage to the last row of seats."

"Now?"

Spock thought this was a very odd question, perhaps humans didn't understand the fundamentals of information design? "I cannot design visual representations of complex data if I don't know exactly how that data will be displayed," he replied.*

He touched the 3D consoles, then touched his insignia twice to download his data to his Comlink and they were off.

They spent the next two hours hiking up and down steps. Spock had plugged in the data he had in his Comlink into the holoscopes and insisted on checking the visibility of the numbers and images from every angle of the auditorium. He was looking for the most desirable size and height of the holoscope and screen projections, seeking any possible blind spots, and trying to determine the resolution of the equipment. He needed Uhura's perspective, most of the audience members would be human, and he wanted to make sure there weren't any quirks of human vision that would interfere with comprehension of the visuals.

He quickly found one.

"Cadet, are the words in 10% gray sufficiently large enough to read?"

"10% gray?"

"Yes, as opposed to the ones in 15% gray."

"15%?"

"You cannot discern a difference in value between the two columns of text?"

"No, Lieutenant, I'm sorry, maybe if they were right next to each other..."

"And yet your vision is perfect for a human." He'd known that human vision was slightly less acute, but never expected this. He added, "Starfleet's highly contrasting uniforms suddenly make more sense to me."

Uhura laughed, "It was just dawning on me that maybe there was more to Vulcan flat gray and brown fashions than met my human eyes."

By the end of the morning he was satisfied he had the technical information he needed for the location. He'd noticed that Uhura had started to flag a bit as the morning wore on, and realized she'd had her regular combat training that day. She was probably tired. And probably hungry. And she had two hours before her next engagement. It was the perfect opening for something he'd been wanting to ask since she'd returned.

"Cadet Uhura, would you like to get something to eat?"


	12. Beer and Pizza

The restaurant served beer and pizza--but very good beer and pizza. It was clean, not overly loud, had outdoor seating and best of all from Spock's perspective, its tables were filled with guests of mixed company: Cadets, officers, professors and support staff.

They sat in a table in the sun, for a San Francisco day it was warm, but it was still cool for a Vulcan and a human just back from Africa. Uhura had begun pulling her hair up into a ponytail high on her head now that her BT hair cut was finally growing out. If she was at all uncomfortable Spock couldn't detect it, she was wearing her professional demeanor again.

Spock was musing on some recent revelations about Uhura's abilities. The more he considered how she was attempting to reconcile his Vulcan inabilities with human expectations the more impressed he was. Also, even if he didn't take her recommendation to interject some humor into his presentation, he really appreciated how neatly it would side step Vulcan censors.

He was inspired to pose a daring personal query. "Cadet, if I may note, your language abilities are exemplary, and your skills at navigating intercultural differences are quite remarkable. Did you ever consider joining the Federation Diplomatic Corp instead of Starfleet?"

She blinked. He realized he didn't ask her personal queries often. "Funny you should ask that. My mother spent my whole summer recess chiding me for not joining the Corps. She is a professor now, but she worked as a diplomat for many years. She wanted me to follow in her foot steps; she practically engineered me to be a diplomat and Xenolinguist."

She explained, "Humans have a limited ability to learn fluency in languages after a certain age. The reason I speak so many languages fluently is because she made sure I was exposed to native speakers from just about every world in my early years of life...she did the same for my brother and sister, but I am the one that seems to really have the love for it.

"She and my father both made sure I had access to all I needed to follow my passion. That is why I already have the training in phonology and morphology that most Cadets only receive in their second or third years."

Then she looked at Spock and said with a smile, "but my passion didn't take me to in the direction of subspace and non-subspace physics...it has only been recently that I've noticed that glaring omission my preparations."

She continued, "I don't just love the languages, but the cultural insight that the language reveals...and the puzzles. There is just so much that is beautiful that is untranslatable, or just shows the inconsistencies of a culture..." She paused, and smiled. "I could go off on a tangent there. Yes, I considered the Corps, and I think that someday when I'm ready to settle down and have children I may join...but..."

And she paused again here, "My mother believes in the primacy of diplomacy and soft power, but I believe that diplomacy without force is like music without instruments."

Spock raised an eyebrow, "Frederick the Great."

"Yes," said Uhura, "My father was in the Fleet, I must have picked it up from him. There is a huge disconnect and lack of respect between the Diplomatic Corps and Starfleet. I think they need each other. I would like someday to bridge that chasm; practical experience in the military coupled with the connections I make while serving is the way to do that. Several of my Xeno-instructors have suggested I consider a job planet-side when I graduate, that would certainly make my mother happier...but I need real military experience."

Spock had not noticed any disconnect between Vulcan diplomats and Vulcan military. But he had noticed that the human tendency for specialization tended to make humans view the world through a very narrow prism of their own disciplines. She was aware of this human failing and attempting to remedy it. Fascinating.

"But what about you Lieutenant? Rumor is that you are the only Vulcan to turn down a position at the Vulcan Science Academy."

His jaw clenched. He realized that he had to reply.

"No Vulcan has ever turned down admission to the Vulcan Science Academy. I am half human, the rumor is only partially informed." He said not looking at her.

Uhura didn't say anything for a minute, he turned his gaze back to her and caught her looking at his hand holding his water glass. He was gripping it a little too hard. He relaxed immediately -- but apparently too late.

She wasn't going to let it go. "Hmmmm...So why did you decide to turn down the historic opportunity to be the first  _half_ -Vulcan in the Academy?"

"I wished to pursue other options."

"I'm sure. Maybe because they ticked you off?"

He said nothing. Uhura's professional demeanor was completely gone now, "I saw a Vulcan get angry!" she laughed--but not so loudly as to attract attention.

"I am only half Vulcan."

"Whatever. Sure you didn't crack a tooth when you clenched your jaw a moment ago? I'm surprised the water glass is still in one piece."

He said nothing but he was completely relaxed. He actually liked it when she laughed; at least he knew she was happy.

"I saw a Vulcan get angry!" She looked at him mischievously, "I'll try not to gloat."

"Thank you, Cadet."


	13. Unscientific Experiments

 

For the next two weeks Spock put aside his normal research. Instead he and Uhura combed through  _e_ books and articles on human cognition. Spock had not been aware just how few humans could think in four dimensions, many had trouble with three.* Also, humans absorbed information in different ways. Some learned best through auditory methods, others visually, others needed tactile activity to learn effectively. Realizing the uneven distribution of human abilities made him wonder how humans had achieved as much as they had.

As he learned more about human cognition he realized that in order for his visuals to be effective he would need more of them -- and they'd need more contrast and color than Vulcans would find appropriate. He mentally prepared his defense for the Vulcan inquiries he knew would come.

He also reviewed literature on human information design. Spock went so far back as to review the works of Edward Tufte in actual book form.** Tufte made him aware of the Napoleon's March*** by Charles Joseph Manard, an anti-Napolean statistical graph from 1812. Spock was seriously considering getting it for his office wall, it was an example of one of those rare moments of exceptional human brilliance -- six variables on a two dimensional surface; date, location, direction of travel, river crossings, temperature, number of men dead.

He also reviewed books on public speaking; it seemed it was important in human presentations for the audience to feel empathy with the speaker. Since he had no feelings per say on the subject he was at a disadvantage.

…Spock was confused as to how one became passionately involved in numbers. He found mathematics to be one of the most fascinating and beautiful of subjects--it was the language of the universe. His study was compulsive, but he didn't love mathematics, science, or his theories. Theories were to be devised, tested, utilized practically if possible, but ultimately discarded if they proved inadequate.

To work around his lack of feeling for the subject Spock reasoned that there were things he could do to increase the audiences' involvement with the presentation. Simple things like making sure there was no podium and not reading from notes would decrease mental barriers between him and the audience. Spock's memory was nearly perfect, and he didn't need a podium to hide behind, he had no fear of public speaking. Uhura on the other hand...

He wanted her to give a basic introduction of phonology. Also he wanted her to present the methodology she'd used for organizing the results. It had been very sophisticated. But she resisted.

"I suspect you know the subject matter better than I do, and you are an eloquent and outspoken speaker," He'd argued.

"But being in front of an audience is different," she'd said.

"How is presenting data to one person any different from presenting to 1,000?" He'd asked.

"It's about a 1,000 times different, Lieutenant Spock," She'd replied.

As a superior officer he could have technically ordered her to present, but he did not want to do that.

In the end it wasn't honest assessment of her skills that convinced her. "It would be advantageous for your career," he'd said. It was his last argument. She'd relented.

Besides preparing for her part of the presentation Spock had Uhura sifting through sound samples trying to find the most effective illustrations of their methodology. Time was limited and they wound up in rather intense discussions about which to include.

Spock also had Uhura reviewing all of his visual aides. He was using human data display conventions and Vulcan conventions that didn't need in depth explanation (he's found that human methods of displaying multidimensional data left a lot to be desired.) If there was something she didn't understand (or in a few cases he realized, simply couldn't see) he revised.

Finally, he had her coaching him on his speech patterns. He was not able to show emotion even if he tried, but he could pause for emphasis at appropriate times to let the humans in the audience reflect on what he had said. Or as Uhura put it, "Keep your words from just turning into one big data dump."

He was driving her hard and he knew it. It was during this time that Spock began experimenting with humor for his own personal ends. He noted that some of Uhura and his 'discussions' had left her visibly tense and he wanted to alleviate this tension. His first attempt did not go as planned.

"Was that a joke?" she had asked.

"Since you did not laugh I'm not sure it qualifies."

Then she asked excitedly, "Are you experimenting with humor because you're considering using it in the presentation?"

That was expressly not his intent. He was experimenting in order to make her laugh and to thereby receive visual verification of her happiness. He deflected by responding, "It's hardly a scientific experiment. My sample size is too small, and I have no control group." It was a reference to their first meeting. She remembered. And most rewarding, she did laugh.

Four days before the Symposium they presented to the Commander and Lieutenant-Commander for approval. When they were done O'Hara looked at them and shook his head, "You're going to make all the rest of us look stupid."

The Commander said, "It will do. Anything else?"

Spock explained the matter of the modified introduction that the Cadet Uhura has proposed. Both superior officers nearly fell out of their seats. "Include that Spock, that's an order," the Commander said. Uhura bit her lip so hard to keep from smiling Spock was surprised it didn't bleed.

As they were leaving and making their way down the hall the Lieutenant-Commander came running after them, "Lieutenant, do you think you have time to help me incorporate some of those Vulcan multidimensional charts in my presentation?"


	14. The "Mind Meld"

They were the last presenters before lunch the first day of the three day Symposium.

Spock gave up trying to wait for complete silence before beginning; by the time he stepped up to the stage the audience had been sitting for over three hours and was hungry and restless.

He started with basic introduction and then gave some acknowledgments, Commander Sharpton, Lieutenant-Commander O'Hara, Professor Matsumura...a few others. He finished this portion by saying in his most controlled, even, unemotional voice, "And lastly I need to acknowledge my assistant and fellow presenter, Cadet Uhura. Her task of cataloging and organizing the languages we transcribed was extreme in volume and monotony, and would have been enough to make even a Vulcan weep."

There were a few choked laughs, but for the most part the crowd went dead silent. He knew what every human in the crowd was thinking because Uhura had told him. They would experience a few seconds of extreme cognitive dissonance. They'd need a minute to adjust, to ask themselves, what was that? Did he? No, Vulcan's don't...do they?

He gave them exactly 3 seconds, during which time he knew every Vulcan in the audience was thinking he'd gone quite mad.

Then he followed in his same normal, expressionless way, "My superior officers ordered me to put that in. To assure you weren't asleep yet."

The tension was cut as though by a knife, every human and Orion in the crowd roared in laughter at the release--here was a Vulcan presenter who knew their natural reaction to Vulcan presenters...and he wasn't haughty about it either. Every Vulcan in the audience exhaled audibly--it was a direct order, he had no choice, the Vulcan on the stage wasn't completely mad after all.

As soon as the room quieted Spock began the presentation with a brief abstract of the project. Then Cadet Uhura stood up and gave a very short introduction to phonology in order to describe the practical problems they had faced and to establish the methodology they'd use for organizing their results. Her portion of the presentation was brief, it was a Subspace Physics Symposium after all. Uhura did use some carefully selected sound samples, but she did not require much in the way of visual aids, other than some projections to describe the notation of various languages (designed by Spock of course, there would be no inconsistency in style).

As she stepped down Spock really began.

There were two holoscopes on the stage, one on either side. He didn't use spotlights, Spock had determined that the light from the holos was enough. He did not use notes or a podium (and he had not allowed Uhura these crutches either). Spock spoke more slowly and used more images than a Vulcan normally would. And in the images he did use he used more colors since his human audience wasn't attuned to subtlety. But there was nothing theatrical. Every element meant something--whether it was sound, hologram, projection, letter or number. He'd stuck to human conventions for color (cools with white for emphasis) and fonts (only two.)

When he wanted to make a point he would generate a 3D hologram that was nearly half a meter taller than him. In examples of human presentations rated by other humans as excellent he'd noticed the presenters often talked with their hands (as did Cadet Uhura). He couldn't physically bring himself to do that any more than he could speak with passion. He compensated by literally walking around and through the data, and inclining his head to the point he wanted to illustrate -- highlighting it with another color if necessary.

In this way Spock walked the audience through his original theorem, the inspiration for it, and the methods he'd used to prove it. Then he showed how he had devised experiments, the results, and particular technical challenges.

He finished up the presentation with future directions, describing the experiments they had begun to isolate the natural occurring subspace transmissions--he allowed himself to add, "or as some of my human colleagues call it, 'solar gossip'." He was rewarded with a few chuckles from the human and Orions in the audience. He knew the Vulcans would just perceive it as commentary on the eccentricity of his human hosts.

At the end he stood towered between the two holograms he'd first shown Uhura, illuminated only by their light. "Thank you," he had concluded.

He was about to start the question and answer period when everything seemed to go very wrong. There was the slow start of clapping, and then the humans (and Orions) started to stand up. Were they so hungry they were leaving for lunch already? He had exactly 12 minutes 38 seconds left for questions (he'd planned on more but the previous speaker hadn't moved the podium and it taken a 2 minutes 22 seconds to get it off the stage.) The clapping reached a deafening roar, nearly all the audience was standing, but no one was leaving the auditorium.

It took a few minutes to register that they were receiving a standing ovation. This was not good.

And he had no idea how to quiet the crowd. The next thing he knew Commander Sharpton, Lieutenant-Commander O'Hara and Cadet Uhura were standing next to him. Uhura said, "Well done Lieutenant." O'Hara smacked him on the shoulder, Spock couldn't help but look down at where the other man's hand had hit.

The Commander immediately took control of the audience, she held up both his arms at shoulder level, palms out and as she gently brought her hands down the applause silenced and people dropped back to their seats.

O'Hara backed her up with a booming "I'm sure the applause is appreciated, but Lieutenant Spock and Cadet Uhura have only 10 minutes left to answer your questions."

Spock did not appreciate the applause, and there was now only 9 minutes and 52 seconds left. He took a breath and nodded his head towards a nondescript middle aged human male standing to ask a question near the front of the auditorium.

"Thank you both for such an informative presentation. Lieutenant Spock, I've never seen or heard multidimensional subspace theory explained so clearly," the man began. Spock was grateful to hear his unorthodox presentation style vindicated.

His gratitude vanished quickly. The man continued, "Is that what it is like to be on the receiving end of a Vulcan Mind Meld?" This was really not good.

There were some laughs through the crowd and murmurs. Spock composed himself and replied, "I'm glad you found my methods effective, do you have a question relating to the material under discussion?" He hoped his answer did not elicit ire from members of his species in the audience.

The man continued, "Yes actually. Your research focuses only on auditory subspace signals, I understand that the signals we use to create the visual portion of our subspace transmissions enter and exit time at a different frequency. Can you calculate those signals from your multidimensional arrays using data from the 30 kHZ - 300 MHz frequencies? If not, is it possible they would be computable using data from 300 MHz- 300GHz?"

At last here was a logical and pertinent question, "We are not able to compute the signals from data in the 30 kHZ-300 MHz frequencies however..."

There were several more questions, most started out with effusive commentary like, "Thank you, I felt like I have just been a privileged observer to the inner workings of a Vulcan mind..." or more Mind Meld analogies but he muddled through.

Everyone did thank him for making the subject "so clear" and "easy to understand" so he had not completely failed. But he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

 


	15. The Interpreter

Where was his cadet?

They'd spent a good thirty minutes together on the stage answering questions; apparently there was a more fluid definition of the time designated as "lunch break" than Spock had realized.

Uhura had received some very in-depth questions. A tall Vulcan woman asked one about a particular quirk in Betazed phonology that Spock would have been completely unable to answer. He had been right to insist Uhura present -- was gloating appropriate? And if he did gloat would it make her laugh?

When questions to Uhura had tapered off she'd disappeared.

Now it was almost an hour into the scheduled lunch break and there was still a small crowd around Spock on the stage asking him questions and making comments.

He actually found their inquiries and observations interesting, and it was obvious that his presentation and been intellectually stimulating for them, but he had questions himself.

Approximately twenty-eight minutes before the end of the scheduled break, Uhura reappeared, carrying a plate of fruit and cheese in one hand and a glass of water and silverware wrapped by a napkin in the other. She walked up to the stage and right after he'd answered a question, and before anyone could pose another she asked, "Lieutenant Spock, the lunch break is almost over, I brought you something. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, actually." And it was true. As soon as he replied his audience began to excuse themselves with apologies for keeping him from his lunch--adding hopeful inquiries into his availability for more questions later as they left.

"There is a table and chairs backstage, Lieutenant."

He doubted that there would be any curious Vulcans lurking back stage. "That sounds perfect."

Before they reached the table, he was already asking her questions. "Cadet, I do not understand the response to the presentation. I believe a standing ovation is for theatrical performances. Did the audience perceive the presentation as entertainment?"

She put the plate, water and utensils down.

"No Lieutenant, I don't believe they found it to be theater at all. I think they were just showing their appreciation for a job well done."

"Then their response was not based on emotion?" he asked, sitting down on a chair.

She sat across from him, elbows on the table, hands clasped in front of her. "I wouldn't say it was a completely unemotional response. They were extremely happy to have witnessed something that made theory so accessible. Even though most of the audience is in your field, I think many of them would expect many hours of pouring over your equations and data to fully understand it. In less than an hour you gave them full comprehension."

Spock said nothing -- he was not sure this was an explanation he could use.

"Lieutenant, is something wrong?"

He looked at her. "Certain elements of my presentation today will be questionable to the Vulcans in the audience. They will inquire. I'd like to be prepared."

"Surely, it is acceptable that humans have human reactions?"

He raised one eyebrow.

"Why did the audience keep referring to the experience as a mind meld?" he asked, still not touching his food.

"Many humans don't believe that Vulcans have emotions. I think they imagine that the cold clarity of the numbers, charts and figures you displayed is what the inside of a Vulcan mind looks like. Everything logical, everything mathematical, complex theory easily understood in an instant...I think we are in awe of Vulcan mathematical ability, we wish numbers made sense to us so easily. Why is this an issue?"

"Mind melds are extremely private -- to have a public event compared to a mind meld will be considered by many to be extremely…"Spock searched for the right word. "…distasteful. Also, cold logic is the explicit opposite of what a mind meld is about..."

She shook her head in what looked like annoyance. "Well, if Vulcans don't want us to have misconceptions about mind meld they could be more open about what they actually are. You're pretty closed lipped about it you know."

He looked at her, picked up a fork and stabbed a strawberry. "Well done, Cadet."

Then he considered; was there something he had forgotten? Yes, yes there was. "Oh, and thank you for the food."

Spock dutifully attended the rest of the presentations that day. He'd actually read all the papers, but he'd gathered attendance, though not mandatory, was polite. Uhura sat with him through Lieutenant Commander O'Hara's presentation right after lunch.

O'Hara was everything as a speaker Spock was not. He was energetic and he literally bounced across the stage. He coaxed the audience to laughter on several occasions --sometimes even Uhura laughed. "Hey, I actually got that one," she'd exclaimed excitedly. Apparently the humor of subspace physics was not accessible to everyone.

There was one thing Spock and O'Hara's presentations had in common. When O'Hara presented the first Vulcan multidimensional chart, he said, "As you can see, I had a little help from Lieutenant Spock on the visuals."

The audience laughed. Spock turned to Uhura. "I do not understand why there is laughter at a statement of fact."

"He's saying a lot with very few words. He's acknowledging that he wouldn't have been able to do something as successful without your help. The laughter was prompted because..." she tilted her head. "He is stating the obvious, and saying a lot with an economy of words that is a bit surprising. Also I think we're laughing in empathy, we're showing we've all felt the pain of our own human limitations at one point or another."

Spock didn't understand and hoped he wouldn't be called upon to explain.


	16. The Vulcan Inquisition

" _It is a pleasure to meet you Lieutenant Spock. I am D'Zorack, head Vulcan Interspecies Counselor for Starfleet, charged with protecting your interests and ensuring that Vulcan traditions are upheld,_ " the eldest of the five Vulcans said in his native tongue.

Spock had never met D'Zorack and had no idea who the Vulcan Interspecies Counselors were. This was looking interesting.

D'Zorack began introducing his colleagues. " _Spock, this is Taleun, and Zeidal, also from the Vulcan Interspecies Council, and I believe you've met Somal and Sadan."_

It took a moment for Spock to recognize Somal and Sadan, and then it registered. They had been on the board of the Vulcan Science Academy when he had turned down admission. This was looking very interesting.

***********************************

Spock and Cadet Uhura had been explicitly requested to attend a reception for delegates of the symposium by Commander Sharpton. The reception was held in a giant hall with shiny black stained stone floors, and soaring windows that would not have looked out of place in a church.

Both of them had been surrounded by attendees almost as soon as they entered. Uhura had been approached by the tall Vulcan woman who had asked the question about Betazed phonlogy.

Spock heard the Vulcan say, "Cadet Uhura, at last we meet in person."

He hadn't been aware Uhura knew any other Vulcans, but he didn't have a chance to muse on this. He was immediately set upon by human and Orion attendees thanking him for his presentation and asking him questions.

It had taken a while, but the crowd around him had finally thinned. He turned his head to look for Cadet Uhura and saw her still engrossed in conversation with the Vulcan woman he had seen earlier. That is when D'Zorack had introduced himself and his companions.

Now Spock was standing with the five Vulcans with his back to a corner of the hall. The high ceilings created an echo that effectively muffled adjacent conversations, he didn't think they were close enough to any surrounding attendees to be overheard.

 _"Pleased to be in your presence,"_  Spock said, nodding his head.

 _"I suspect you did not know you had your own counselors,_ _Spock,"_ D'Zorack said. _"Each species in Starfleet has their own representatives. You are currently Starfleet's only Vulcan, but they are so impressed by your performance they are trying to attract more, hence our very recent assignment. As our only current charge we felt compelled to attend your presentation today with Somal and Sadan."_

 _  
_Somal got right to the point. _"That was a very interesting presentation you gave Lieutenant Spock. Your research is impressive, are you sure you did not detract from it with your unorthodox presentation style?"_

_"On the contrary, I designed the presentation to facilitate the needs of the human attendees since they were the greatest percentage of the audience. The feedback I have received so far suggests that I was successful."_

_"I presume you refer to the multidimensional charts you included,"_  Sadan said.  _"I believe your excessive use of the these visual aids and the disturbing amount of color and contrast you added to them may have turned a scientific event into nothing more than an entertaining display."_

Spock responded cooly, " _It had come to my attention that humans have less ability to detect contrast; that is the reason for the increased use of color. As for the number of visual aids provided I have found that humans' ability to understand_ _multidimensional theory is not as mathematically rooted as our own, hence the greater number of explanatory devices."  
_

 _"Well, if you say it was to_ _accommodate_ _human inferior capabilities..."_ Sadan replied.

 _"I did not say it was to_ _accommodate_ _inferior capabilities. As I_ _stated_ _, their understanding is not rooted in mathematics as deeply as our own. I_ _chose_ _to present the material in a visual language more suited to facilitating human comprehension."_ Spock said these words smoothly and evenly, without any hint of emotion. But it gave his companions pause. Spock knew not acknowledging innate human inferiority was not a winning strategy, but in his years with humans he'd begun to doubt this blanket assumption and could not help but be completely honest even if it hurt his own defense.

It was D'Zorack who spoke.  _"I am still concerned that the presentation may have come off as theater. The reaction of the crowd was one generally reserved for entertainment events."_

Spock decided here it was best to admit his own uncertainty.  _"Indeed, that troubled me too. I inquired with my human associates and they assure me that it was in recognition of a job well done."_

 _"So there was no emotion in the response?"_  one of the other counselors asked.

Faced with a direct question Spock was unable to lie. _"They are human; their responses to many_ _stimuli_ _are...emotional."_

D'Zorak said in clipped tones,  _"Well then it would seem your presentation elicited greater emotion than any other."_

 _"Perhaps it was_ _just recognition_ _of greater success."_ Spock replied. This was dangerous ground. Some of the other Vulcans would doubtlessly present later in the week. They would probably elicit the same 'Pavlovian' sleep response he'd recently learned about. There were unlikely to be any standing ovations, and in fact might be empty seats.

There was another pause.

D'Zorak broke the silence again.  _"And of course there is the greatest concern, that you have made public a very private Vulcan ceremony."_

 _"This was of course not my intention_ _,"_  Spock replied.

_"Nonetheless, it_ _occurred_ _. Moreover, the audience inferred that a mind meld is something very different than what it actually is. You did nothing to disabuse this misconception."_

_"As for their interpretation of the ceremony, it has been explained to me that as Vulcans we have controlled our emotions so well that most humans believe we simply have none_ _."_ Spock explained,  _"They_ _believe that our minds function almost entirely in the realm of mathematics. They understand a mind meld involves transference of thoughts_ _\--_ _but believe the only thoughts we have to transfer are logical in origin."_

One of the counselors said matter-of-factly,  _"You could have at least let them know our thoughts are not so colorful."_  This wasn't a joke. They really considered the colors he'd used inappropriate. Also, the word colorful had no connotation of eccentricity in Vulcan. However, maybe if he retold this story to Uhura...

He returned his focus to the conversation at hand.  _"I do not think that I possess the wisdom to judge how inappropriate interpretations of the_ _mind meld_ _should be handled. There is no established protocol, so I_ _chose_ _to evade the issue entirely."_

D'Zorak seemed almost satisfied with this.  _"Indeed you do not possess the wisdom._

 _"I am still concerned though,_ _"_  the older Vulcan continued,  _"comments you have made imply that you do not accept human inferiority in matters of intellect."_

Spock kept his voice even.  _"It has been my observation that although there is greater intellectual diversity of ability_ _between_ _humans than between Vulcans, they utilize one another and technology to make up for their inadequacies. As a race their achievements are comparable..."_

 _"Their achievements are comparable due to Vulcan assistance,"_ retorted Sadan.

 _"At one time, yes."_ Then Spock mused,  _"But even humans quick assimilation of technologies superior to their own shows a flexibility that is hardly inferior."_

Somal said, " _We noticed that the Vulcan multidimensional charts they adopted elicited laughter."_

 _"You misunderstood their response, as did I…"_ It was difficult for him to explain something he didn't fully understand himself. _"I inquired. I was told the_ _response indicated both an understanding of the superiority of the display convention, as well as a certain empathy with the speaker."_  
 _  
"An emotional reaction to logical display of information hardly makes the case for the integrity of human intellect,"_ Somal retorted.

D'Zorak spoke up _. "Enough. Human weaknesses in the area of intellect are quantifiable. I believe your own human heritage is making you unable to properly recognize what are established facts, Spock."_

And then from over the shoulders of the Vulcans came the voice of Lieutenant Commander O'Hara, speaking what was perhaps the worst Vulcan Spock had ever heard.  _"I may be an inferior human, but..."_ Then O'Hara muttered something unintelligible and switched to the common lingua franca. "But the last sentence you spoke to Lieutenant Spock was an _ad hominem_ fallacy. Question the man's logic all you want, but throw his heritage into the equation and you're being the illogical one."

All the Vulcans, including Spock, were shocked into silence. They turned and parted to look at the Lieutenant Commander. Spock noticed he was flanked by a very worried looking Professor Matsumura and Cadet Uhura.

This was most unfortunate.


	17. Humans

The trouble was, the "inferior" human was right. Spock recognized D'Zorack's mistake immediately but he hadn't wanted to point out the error; he had not wanted to insult the older Vulcan. Instead he had planned to continue reasoning with his fellow Vulcans and impress upon them further observations as to how human outputs exceeded human inputs. Show them the error of their ways, but slowly and gently. Now he wouldn't have a chance.

Worse, D'Zorack had been caught in a fallacy and thereby insulted not just by another Vulcan, but by a human -- a human who didn't deny his inferiority. And it had been public.

If there had been a battle being waged in the conversation, Spock had now lost. He would not be able to finish defending himself or his views. One by one, all the Vulcans nodded towards him and then silently departed. There was no protocol for this situation. Neither he, nor they, really knew what to do.

O'Hara and Matsumura came over and stood next to him. Cadet Uhura still faced Spock, but she'd moved closer.

O'Hara crossed his arms over his chest while he watched the other Vulcans depart.

"Nice friends you've got there, Spock."

Spock was familiar with sarcasm, but he was still in a bit of shock. "I'm afraid you misunderstand. I am not personally acquainted with any of them," he replied.

"And that's just another reason for me to like you, Spock," said O'Hara. "I guess they don't expect humans to understand Vulcan." He swore under his breath, something to the effect of Vulcan arrogance. Then almost paradoxically he added, "After mathematics, Vulcan practically is the language of science. Toshi is nearly fluent, I can understand it but can't speak it worth..." Another swear followed.

O'Hara turned to Matsumura. "Toshi," he said, "Lets get something to drink. Spock, why don't you join us?" And with that he strode away.

As the Lieutenant Commander left, Matsumura said softly in nearly flawless Vulcan,  _"I apologize for Patrick...Lieutenant Commander O'Hara. He merely wished to remedy what he saw as an injustice. He meant no harm, though I think he may have caused some."_

 _"What's done cannot be undone,"_  Spock replied.  _"And it is impossible to calculate the future."_

Spock looked at Uhura; he had a strong desire to ask her what exactly just transpired.

Matsumura looked at the Cadet, then back to Spock. He said quietly, "Perhaps, I will see you at the bar."

Spock was silent as the older man left. It was Uhura who spoke. "I knew you said there would be questions. I didn't realize you meant an inquisition."

"It was not an inquisition. They merely wished to assist me in identifying potential flaws in my logic so that I might perfect my reasoning."

She folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head. "Really?"

He chose to ignore the question. "I don't quite understand why the Lieutenant Commander wished to interfere."

"I was on my way over to introduce you to T'Lan...I heard the Lieutenant Commander muttering something about you being backed into a corner and outnumbered. I think he really was trying to help."

Spock said nothing. It was all very confusing.

Uhura said softly, "Spock, I've become accustomed Vulcan bluntness. But I didn't expect them to be so...illogical. That comment about you being half human..."

He didn't look at her, but felt his jaw clench.

She gave him a half smile. "Thank you for what sounded like the beginnings of an elegant defense on behalf of our inferior species. If it makes you feel better, I thought you were far more logical than any of those full green blooded Vulcans."

Actually…it did make him feel a bit better. He looked at her and asked, "Are you sure you are not biased in the matter?" Then he did something quite calculated. Something he had found usually succeeded in making her laugh. He raised an eyebrow.

She grinned...and did laugh a little.

"I think our commanding officer has requested my presence at the bar," said Spock, and started in the general direction. He stopped and looked back at her. She caught up to him and they made their way across the room.

**********************************

The following two days went smoothly except perhaps for one small momentary slip on Spock's part.

Spock had sat through all of the presentations--even Xelium's. Xelium's presentation was the last to be given on the second day. He heard fellow attendees muttering something about, "Xelium getting up on stage to beat his dead horse once again." Spock recognized that Xelium's theories weren't flawed, merely old. It seemed the older researcher had not done anything genuinely new in a long time. Many of the seats in the auditorium emptied.

A few Vulcans did approach Spock with questions about his research during breaks. No one questioned his methods of delivery again.

On the final night of the Symposium, there was a formal dinner. Uhura hadn't been able to attend the conference during the second two days, but she was able to make this last event.

It turned out there was an added benefit to convincing Uhura to present that Spock had not anticipated. As his fellow presenter, she got to sit next to him during dinner, just to his right, at what she called 'the grownup table'. Matsumura was on his left, with his wife Yumi. O'Hara, his wife Katie, Lieutenant Commander Janine Garcia and her assistant Cadet Adam Lin rounded out the group.

What impressed Spock most was how little it was like a formal dinner on Vulcan. For one thing, there was the presence of bond-mates. On Vulcan this would only have occurred if the bond-mates were involved in the same research.

Then there was the conversation, or rather conversations. On Vulcan, the conversation would have stuck to the physics of subspace signals--and that was discussed at their table, but so was just about everything else. One minute Spock was discussing artificial intelligence with Matsumura, then somehow the subject changed to Katie's research into optimizing warp drive cores.

At one point, Yumi engaged half the table in a conversation about pre-warp Klingon weaponry; while at the same time, Garcia was bantering about ancient Terran aviation devices. Nothing was discussed very deeply, but the breadth of the topics was quite fascinating. Spock took mental notes of all the snippets of data he would have to explore later in greater detail.

There was little regard for rank. Lieutenant Commander O'Hara and Professor Matsumura slipped quickly into addressing each other as Patrick and Toshi.

Then there was the way humor and emotion were worked into the most technical of subjects. All the humans at the table laughed, joked and smiled.

It was a completely alien environment to the half-Vulcan. But surprisingly, he was comfortable.

Partially, it was the stimulating nature of the conversation, but partially, too, it was the two humans seated immediately next to him.

Professor Matsumura evidently knew a lot about Vulcans. Spock noticed how careful the man was in their physical interactions. When a small bowl of Bajoran Xiling spice, hardly bigger than an egg, made its way around the table the professor held the bowl in a flattened palm so that Spock could gingerly pick it up without physical contact. It was a deeply appreciated gesture. Random brushes of telepathic contact were one of the primary reasons human gatherings were uncomfortable for Spock.

Uhura was, of course, equally careful in her deportment. No part of her person brushed against him during the evening -- and despite the very different relationship he had with his cadet, he was grateful for that. He had sometimes almost wished for accidental contact in the past few weeks, but a public occurrence would have been too distracting.

He realized that he and Uhura were starting to communicate in ways that were wordless but not telepathic. If a human idiom he didn't understand was spoken he could tilt his head slightly in her direction and drop his eyes to the table and she'd whisper a hushed definition. If a strange dish appeared in front of him he could raise his eyebrows and she'd tell him its name and origins. He was grateful for the explanations, and he found the touch of her breath on his ear exquisite.

Happy might have been too strong a word to describe his psychological state, but he was definitely in a deep state of enjoyment and contentment.

After dinner all of the guests got up and began to mingle with participants who had been seated at other tables. Despite the opportunity to roam Spock found himself with Yumi, Professor Matsumura and Cadet Uhura. Their conversation turned to the similarities of traditional Japanese culture and Vulcan culture. They talked in a dizzying mish-mash of Vulcan and the lingua franca, with tidbits of Japanese thrown in here and there -- just for emphasis. Spock was the only one who didn't know all three languages, the other three would bring up a Japanese word or expression that reflected what they saw as "Vulcan-ness" and then they'd translate it for him.

A band began playing ballroom music and Spock looked up to see that a small dance floor opened up. He saw Lieutenant Commander O'Hara and Katie among the couples. It was surprising to see the boisterous and bouncy O'Hara slip gracefully across the floor.

His focus shifted immediately back into the conversation when Uhura said, "I think it would be exhausting to maintain Vulcan control over emotions  _all the time._ "

Yumi laughed. "It is impossible for humans!"

"Yes, yes." Toshi smiled and added quietly, "Do you know how we managed to keep Vulcan control over our emotions most of the time, Lieutenant Spock?"

Spock inclined his head. "No, I'm afraid I don't."

Yumi and Toshi both raised the glasses of wine they were nursing and said in unison, "By drinking the rest of the time!"

Uhura raised her own wine glass and gave a Japanese toast. "Konpai!"

Toshi and Yumi clinked their glasses to hers and exclaimed, "Konpai! Konpai!"

Spock was sorry he didn't have a glass of his own at the moment – he did drink occasionally out of politeness, although he was immune to alcohol's inebriating effects.

Just then Katie and O'Hara came over. Katie was saying, "I'm through for now Patrick, you'll have to find a new partner."

O'Hara tilted his head to the music. "That's a waltz! Cadet Uhura, care to join me on the floor?" O'Hara asked bowing slightly.

Uhura curtseyed in return. "I'd love to!"

Katie winked at the younger woman, and said, "Have fun, watch your toes!" Then turned and began talking to Yumi. Spock was completely lost to the conversation. His eyes were glued to his cadet and the Lieutenant Commander as they made their way over to the dance floor and began to glide gracefully together to the waltz.

Suddenly Spock felt the evening begin to shatter around him. He began to quietly seethe. It wasn't the physical contact between and O'Hara and Uhura that was setting him off, although he was acutely aware of being jealous of that.

No, what was really provoking jealousy was the ease with which the two humans, hardly acquainted, could interact with each other and show such easy emotion. He understood it was only friendship, but even that was so much more than he could do. Their hands were clasped, there was no telepathic discomfort. They smiled easily and laughed together. They were communicating publicly in a language of easy affection that he could not, and probably never would be able to participate in -- whether it was due to Vulcan training or Vulcan blood he really didn't know and it really didn't matter. It just was.

He'd begun to feel connected to his human associates that evening. Now he felt the connection sever. And, as always, he wasn't connected to his fellow Vulcans in the room. Not really.

He was furious with himself for not being one or the other.

He stood locked in place just watching Uhura and the Lieutenant Commander, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. He took a deep breath, the air around him suddenly seemed thin.

"Lieutenant Spock." He heard the words dimly.

"Lieutenant Spock." The words came again.

Spock snapped his head around to look to see Toshi had stepped very close.

"They've opened the doors to the balcony. Perhaps you'd like to join me outside?"

Spock did not relish the idea of standing outside on what was for a Vulcan a chilly San Francisco evening. Then he caught Toshi's eyes wandering across the room to a spot beyond the dance floor. He followed Toshi's gaze and found himself looking straight into the stares of D'Zorak and Somal. Spock nodded across the room at them. They nodded back.

He looked down at Toshi and said, "Thank you. I think I would appreciate the opportunity to get some air."

Toshi turned his eyes back to Spock and started towards the balcony.


	18. Uhura's Secret

"Pardon?" asked Spock.

"Oh, I said that I won't be able to go home for the recess before the fall semester. I won't get to see my family. I'm actually pretty sad about it," Uhura said.

"No, the first part."

It was the end of the summer semester. They were eating outside again. A different place, more of pub, but still, with plenty of mixed company.

The summer had gone well. He and Uhura had settled into a new pattern in their research. They were still studying natural subspace transmissions; at present he was interested in how planet side events such as weather and seismic activity affected subspace signals in the radio spectrum. He needed to be able to account for random events when he stripped natural transmissions from sentient made transmissions.

He looked for significant planet side events in various systems. Then Uhura found appropriate sentient subspace transmissions and radio signals. Spock would then run the simulation of what the sentient chatter would look like in radio signals and compare it to the actual radio signals. He was pleased with the pace they were maintaining, despite their two week diversion.

And overall he'd been pleased with how his Cadet and his personal relationship had been developing. There had been one horribly tense moment when the subspace signal array had broken again and they'd fixed it. Well, she had fixed it. He had held the flashlight for her -- in the dark, underneath the array, their bodies almost touching. It had been excruciating.

Uhura had even commented at the time, "Lieutenant, this is awkward." He was familiar with her enough to know that she had been trying to cut the tension. It hadn't worked for him.

He had kept his gaze carefully focused on the beam cast by the flashlight. All he had managed was a muffled, "Indeed." Her heart rate had been elevated, but considerably calmer than his; it wasn't logical to expect justice from the universe, still...

But overall, he thought things had progressed smoothly. This was their fourth lunch together this summer. He had thought that the friendship / mentor arrangement was going well. Until now.

"Oh, well, I have a paper that my advisor and T'Lan have been urging me to finish and submit to the Vulcan Historical Letters Journal. Do you remember T'Lan? I never got to introduce you, she was only at the Symposium the first day. Anyway, I decided not to go home so I can focus in the next few weeks and wrap it up."

How did he not know about this? A Vulcan was urging her to submit a paper to a journal -- she was barely a second year Cadet and she was going to be published in a journal, a _Vulcan_  journal. (He had no doubt that if a Vulcan was urging her to complete the paper publication was in all likelihood inevitable).

Spock was fairly certain that friends shared papers that they were considering submitting for publication. He was also fairly certain that a real friend would pick through their friend's paper word-by-word and point out all logical inconsistencies and grammatical mistakes. He was hurt. And he wondered just how much more he didn't know about her.

"I did not realize you were considering submitting a paper for publication," he said.

"Yes, well, it was kind of an accident."

"You accidentally wrote a paper for publication?"

"Didn't you develop your subspace signal equation because you were bored out of your mind on some lunar space station or something?"

"Yes, but I had nothing to do. You are a Cadet. You are by definition overworked and starved for sleep."

Uhura sighed. "It started out being for a course. I took Comparative History of Xenosocieties second semester. We were required to write a paper analyzing some historical piece of xenoliterature -- it could be Romulan, Klingon, Vulcan...anything.

"But I thought it was a horrible assignment. It was a comparative history class. Why weren't we comparing xenosocieites, instead of just analyzing one society from our own human point of view?

"So I decided to write a paper on the  _T'Kai Lamana Ita_."

Spock, like every Vulcan, and probably every Romulan too, knew of the  _T'Kai Lamana Ita_. It was an epic of the proportions of the Ramayana that had been written before the Romulan Vulcan separation -- and before Surak.

Uhura continued. "Instead of analyzing the  _T'Kai Lamana Ita_  directly though, I decided to do a cross literature study comparing how the proto-Romulan and the proto-Vulcan interpretations of the piece varied. As I'm sure you know, the proto-Romulans were primarily from one ethnic group, while the proto-Vulcans were primarily from another.

I compared interpretations from both groups about a thousand years before Surak, and then again approximately one hundred years before Surak.

"Everyone is obsessed with the Surak time period." She finished shaking her head.

"The adaption of Surak's teachings was the defining cultural event of Vulcan society," Spock pointed out.

"But that's the thing, I don't think the adaption of Surak's teachings was an event, I think it was a process of natural Vulcan evolution. I think everything he taught had been building for thousands of years. If Surak hadn't come along I think that the Vulcan adaptation of the supremacy of logic would have happened anyway -- it just would have had a different person as catalyst."

There was nothing quite like blasphemy over lunch, Spock thought.

"And you found evidence of this while you were studying proto-Romulan and proto-Vulcan interpretations of the  _T'Kai Lamana Ita_?" He asked.

"Yes, actually. The proto-Vulcan analysis of the epic, even thousands of years before Surak are almost completely based on the plot line and structure of the language of the piece. All very logical. The proto-Romulan analysis are, well, incredibly emotional. Proto-Romulan analysis delved into the feelings of the characters -- structural analysis of the language was secondary."

"It could have merely been cultural," Spock said.

"It also could have been biological," Uhura replied. "Result of an ethnic trait. But no Vulcan seems to have the guts to suggest that."

Spock decided not to comment on the second statement. "I presume you used original source documents, not translations?"

"Oh, of course!" Uhura said.

"It was supposed to be just a paper for the class," Uhura said, "But my instructor liked it so much he forwarded it to my advisor and T'Lan. From there it sort of spun out of control. I'm pretty sick of it now -- not the subject matter, just the endless footnotes, appendices, references... I'm not cut out to be an academic." She had her elbows on the table and now she leaned her forehead down onto one of her hands.

Spock decided to venture a daring statement. "I would like to read your paper."

Uhura looked up at him and sighed. "I'm not sure it is really all that it everyone is making it out to be. I think it has novelty value for T'Lan. Because it is written by human it offers a unique perspective, that doesn't mean it is orthodoxy shattering."

Spock looked at her. "As I'm sure you know by now, Vulcans are not prone to the overestimation of human intellect. Moreover, something does not have to be orthodoxy shattering to be worthwhile."

"Tell you what," Uhura said, "After I'm done tearing it to shreds over the next few weeks, I'll let you tear it to shreds."

"That sounds fair. I look forward to tearing your paper to shreds." He raised an eyebrow at the end of the last sentence and looked her directly in the eye. Uhura gave him an extremely dirty look -- and a wry half smile.

He wondered if there something he was forgetting. Yes. "Cadet," he added, "I am sorry you will not be able to visit your family."

Spock did not expect to see her for the following few weeks.

 


	19. Checkmate

 

In the end he did see Cadet Uhura over the second summer recess, at a bar no less. It was due in no small part to Matsumura and O'Hara.

It wasn't just his relationship to his Cadet that had been changing over the summer. His relationship to his colleagues, particularly Lieutenant-Commander O'Hara and Professor Matsumura, had changed as well.

In a horrible awkward conversation O'Hara had apologized for interfering in his debate with the Vulcans at the Symposium.

"Cross cultural understanding isn't my strong point, Spock. I just thought it wasn't a fair fight. I really wanted to help. Toshi has explained to me that it would have been better for you to try and reason with that weasel a little longer...damn Vulcans and Japanese and all indirect cultures.

"Anyway, next time you decide to rumble with the Vulcans, we can maybe come up with a hand signal or something, and I'll only jump in if you need me."

Spock had only been able to stare dumbfounded at O'Hara. Rumble with the Vulcans?

The next day O'Hara had showed up over Spock's lunch hour with a 3D chessboard and a timer.

"Lieutenant Spock, care to join me in a game of 4D chess?"

"4D chess?" Spock had asked.

"I have an attention deficit problem. We play 3D chess with a timer. Two minutes max between each move."

It was too interesting to be missed. Spock played O'Hara that day and beat the other man soundly. Although, not as easily as he had expected; Spock had actually been impressed with O'Hara's performance. O'Hara on the other hand was definitively not impressed, he had cursed himself loudly and voraciously.

A few days later O'Hara showed up at Spock's lab with Toshi. "O.K., Spock," O'Hara had said, "Today, if you're interested, were going to play 4D chess, but this time Toshi is going to be my wing man."

Spock looked at Toshi, then back to O'Hara and asked, "He is going to help you formulate moves?"

"Oh Hell...No, Spock," O'Hara responded. "There is no time for debating strategy in 4D chess. Toshi is just going to engage you in conversation in order to distract you."

Toshi piped in, his face an expressionless mask. "5D chess, if you will."

"Yeah, 5D chess," O'Hara said. "As long as we're honest about it, we figure it isn't cheating."

And so the 5D chess matches had begun. The first few times Toshi had just talked about research in general. Spock had won all of these games, but O'Hara was definitely performing better.

The third game Toshi had brought up that his research into artificial intelligence was going to be used to help devise better battle simulations, specifically for the Kobayahsi Maru test.

"The test designed to be unwinnable," Spock had replied, making his move on the board.

"You know it is unwinnable?" Toshi had asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Spock had said. Then he added, "I suppose it has some psychological lesson."

"You're not supposed to know that it is unwinnable. Please don't repeat that. Yes, there is a psychological lesson."

"Professor Matsumura, I find your research in artificial intelligence fascinating. Please continue with the details of how it relates to the Kobayashi Maru," Spock had said. He really wasn't interested in the psychology of the test.

Matsumura had then engaged Spock in a very stimulating conversation on how principles of artificial intelligence could be used to help simulation software evolve with the tactics and strategies of the participants. By the end of the lunch hour Spock had won the 5D chess match with a small deal of difficulty and agreed to help Matsumura with his research. All in all, 5D chess seemed a very rewarding game.

Then Matsumura had changed his strategy.

The next game he had engaged Spock in a less scientific discussion - specifically on human behavior. It was a devilish tactic, Spock found himself having more difficulty switching from his play on the board back to the conversation.

It was during this game that Spock found himself saying, "I don't understand why a human acquaintance of mine from my days as a cadet wants to get together the night before he switches to active duty in the neutral zone."

"Humans often don't like to be alone during times before a life altering engagement. And he also probably would like to say goodbye," Toshi replied.

"We said goodbye two years ago when he graduated." Spock said, not looking from the board.

"How long were you acquainted with him, Lieutenant Spock?"

"We were roommates for four years - our entire time at the Academy."

"Did you get along as roommates?" Toshi asked.

Spock considered. There was one time when he had made the mistake of giving his comlink data to a certain woman...She had quite ingeniously modified said comlink so that Spock could not turn it off, and so that all messages were broadcast loud enough to be heard across a dorm room. She had then proceeded to call Spock at 4 a.m. the night before his roommate Brian's advanced quantum physics exam. Brian had wound up hopping out of bed and crushing Spock's comlink with a shoe in a fit of rage.

"Except for one incident we had no real difficulties." Spock replied. He then realized he had just made an ill considered move on the board.

"It is typical for humans to want to be with people they are fond with before embarking on a life altering journey."

Raising an eyebrow Spock said, "You are saying he has some sort of an emotional bond with me?"

"You have no fondness for him?" Toshi asked. Spock registered genuine surprise in his normally placid tone.

"I wish him no ill will." Spock said, focusing back on the game.

O'Hara made a move and then suddenly jumped into the conversation. "Spock are you telling us that after  _living_  with the guy for  _four_  years you have no emotional attachments to him whatsoever?"

Spock raised his eyebrows, both because he was surprised by the question and because he hadn't realized O'Hara had been following the discussion. He was a more formidable opponent than Spock had realized. "I should?" Spock asked.

O'Hara shot back, "Oh, geez Spock. Come on, not even you are  _that_  cold blooded."

Spock was about to reply when Toshi said, "Do not evade the comment by referring to your basal metabolic temperature, Lieutenant."

He didn't show any outward sign, but Spock was startled. How did Toshi know that was going to be his evasion tactic?

Spock concentrated, made his move, and then said, "So by proximity alone humans form emotional attachments?" He had thought on occasion that this was the case, but had never sought confirmation. It wasn't a point that had interested him that much, really.

"With time, generally, yes. If there is not undue friction in the relationship. Actually, often even if there is friction."

This explained a lot - why perhaps Cadet Uhura had inferred that their time together  _before_  might have generated some affection in him it had not. And maybe partially why the comlink scrambling companion had gotten so emotional after specifically stating that she was strictly interested in only a phyiscal relationship.

Still...it was his ex-roommate Brian they were talking about. Most of their conversations had focused on math and physics. After the comlink incident there had been a few conversations in which Brian had tried to drag Spock into divulging more of his personal activities, along with some one sided lamentations on Brian's part about being less success with females than a Vulcan.

"I accept that. However, he knows no one else in San Francisco at this point. Perhaps it is not fondness causing him to want this contact - just the desire you pointed out earlier of not wanting to be alone. And I still do not understand why he would not feel his time would be better spent in quiet meditation." Spock made another move on the board.

O'Hara made a move, and then looked up at Spock. "You mean he doesn't have anyone else to be with in San Francisco the night before he ships out?"

Spock made a move.

Toshi said, "You are going to take him out, aren't you Lieutenant?"

"I am still taking it into consideration. But I will definitely take this conversation into account," said Spock.

O'Hara moved again, then said, "Spock, you cold green blooded son of a..." he took a deep breath and continued, "human and Vulcan. You are the only guy he knows in San Francisco. You have to take him out for a few beers before he goes and puts his ass on the line for all of us in the neutral zone."

"It is precisely because of the potential risk to his person that I think meditation would be better, to compose his mind..."

As Spock was making his move O'Hara grumbled, "Maybe if he was a Vulcan."

"Are you saying taking him out would be the human thing to do?"

O'Hara made another move.

Toshi entered the conversation again. "It would be the  _humane_  thing, Lieutenant Spock. Certainly, variances in human personality might make some humans wish to spend time alone in quiet contemplation...but the fact that he has apparently initiated some attempts at contact suggest he is not that sort of person."

As Spock made his move, O'Hara added, "Yeah, Toshi's right, it would be the  _humane_  thing. Take the guy out and get him drunk or something, Spock. Make sure he isn't alone on his last night planet side..."

O'Hara moved.

"You will, take him out, won't you Lieutenant Spock?" Toshi asked.

Spock moved. "I do not wish to be inhumane." He took a deep breath. "I will do it."

O'Hara moved and then said, "I knew you weren't all that bad, Spock!" Then he added, "Oh...and Spock."

"Yes?"

"Checkmate," said O'Hara.

Spock looked at the board. "Fascinating."

 


	20. Humanitarian Missions

His ex-roommate had chosen the location, thankfully. Spock knew nothing about bars, but this one seemed relatively quiet. It was the kind of place you could have a pint and a bit of a chat as Brian said. There were a few pool tables, but they were empty.

They sat at a booth away from the bar itself, neither was in uniform, which meant Spock had an excuse to dress in clothing heavy enough to be comfortable for a change -- a human black zip turtleneck sweater, soft gray flannel trousers and his standard Starfleet boots. If it weren't for the fact that it was a warm summer night he might not have looked out of place.

Brian was dressed for the weather. It struck Spock that having shared personal space with someone for four years did have its advantages. There were no comments on his turtleneck.

Brian sat facing the door, Spock opposite him. Both were drinking Anchor Steam, Spock tended to mimic the alcoholic consumption of his human companions in situations like this. He was grateful Brian was not a fan of Budweiser Classic.

Although Spock was not an expert at reading human emotions, he had lived with Brian for four years, and could tell his ex-roommate was slightly on edge. It was most unfortunate Brian did not practice meditation, he could have used it. Instead, Spock noted, Brian was spending his last night on earth with the hominid on Earth least qualified to provide comfort for the emotionally distraught. Spock had no idea what to say or do other than to buy drinks.

Fortunately, after some initial uncomfortable silence Brian began doing all of the talking for him.

"...so after being on the research outpost on Epsilon Minor helping Commander Richardson with his research for two years and getting absolutely no credit for my contribution I found my way home for shore leave on the Liberty...and we ran into Klingons at the edge of the neutral zone."

Brian took a swig of beer and continued. "Anyway, apparently there was a bit of a misunderstanding...and shots were fired. It got a little hairy for a bit before things were straightened out."

Spock tilted his head. "And this experience inspired you to go active duty?"

"Yeah," Brian said, "Crazy isn't it? No, you know, seeing the crew in action -- how they all came together. After dealing with academics for two years...all the politics...I decided that I'd rather be shot at by Klingons than deal with petty backstabbing. So I transferred to active duty, I'm going to be a science officer on board the Sugihara.

"Doesn't it ever get to you?" Brian asked.

"What?" asked Spock.

"The politics at the Academy."

Spock looked at Brian blankly. "I have not noticed the politics you speak of."

Brian laughed softly and took another sip of his beer, "Nah, I guess you wouldn't -- one of the nicer things about you Spock. And you've got Commander Sharpton looking out for you. She got you into a lab in record-time, she'll never let anything bad happen to you."

Brian suddenly craned his neck to get a better view of the entrance of the bar. "Hellooooo....what have we here?"

Spock turned to look at the door, four young human women and one very pretty Orion girl had just entered. "Cadet Uhura," Spock said. He wasn't actually addressing her, just stating her name in surprise.

Of course, she heard. She waved, said something to her companions as they set off to the bar, and then walked over to join him and Brian. She was wearing a white top that plunged low and cinched at the waist. She wore a pair of tight fitting Terran navy slacks and navy heels. Her hair tumbled down her shoulders in loose ringlets. It struck Spock that this was the first time they'd seen each other out of uniform.

"Lieutenant Spock," she said smiling.

"Good evening, Cadet Uhura," he replied. He turned to Brian, "Brian, this is my assistant Cadet Uhura. Cadet Uhura, this is Lieutenant Brian Jacobsen, he was my roomate when I was a Cadet."

"Pleased to meet you Lieutenant..."

Brian cut her off, "You can just call me Brian."

"Cadet Uhura," Spock said, "I am surprised to see you here."

She tilted her head. "Not as surprised as I am to see you, Lieutenant Spock."

"But I thought you would be busy with your paper." He said in his most dry voice.

She smiled and shook her head. Then she looked at Brian and said conspiratorially, "Did you know there is no word for 'burn-out' in Vulcan?"

Brian laughed affably, "No, but I believe it. Still...if it weren't for his inability to get burned out I never would have made it through Advanced String Theory."

Uhura turned back to Spock, "The party we were going to go to got closed down by security before it even started."

Spock took a sip of his drink and contemplated this last statement. Closed down  _before_ it even began?

"We're just here to regroup," Uhura continued. "Anyway, I'm going to go over there and talk to the rest of my girlfriends in the overachievers-not-going-on-holiday-squad...see you around."

As she was leaving, Brian said incredulously, "Over achievers club? No, way! They can't all be that beautiful and intelligent too." Spock looked at Uhura's friends. They were all, in fact, very attractive.

"It is completely illogical to believe that their appearances preclude mental ability," Spock responded. He suddenly wondered if this attitude was part of the reason Brian's success with females was so lamentable. Hadn't Uhura voiced frustration over similar comments by Xelium?

From the corner of his eye he thought he saw Uhura looking back at him as she walked away. Could she overhear? Quite possibly, her hearing was very acute.

Brian seemed not to be listening; he was staring in rapt attention at the girls at the bar. "Uh, huh. So that is your assistant?"

Spock lowered his voice. "I think the pronoun you mean to use is she, not that. And I believe she is listening to us. If you do not wish to offend her or her friends you might wish to speak more quietly."

Brian snapped his attention back to Spock and said in a whisper. "So Spock, does  _she_  know you're not as innocent as you look?"

Spock did not answer. Being a humanitarian was getting very trying.

"Oh, come on Spock, I know you...she isn't your usual MO, but..."

"Need I remind you of the regulations on the matter of interactions between commanding officers and subordinates, specifically those relating to instructors and students?" Spock asked in his most monotone voice.

"She's your assistant..."

"For credit, of course."

Brian rolled his eyes. "We all know those regulations are more guidelines. Sort of 'don't ask don't tell'. That's why every year a handful of Cadets wind up magically falling in love with their former instructors and getting married approximately one week after graduation. As long as you are discreet, and we both know you are more than capable of that. If it weren't for that comlink..."

Spock looked up at him sharply.

"Sorry, I know, I promised never to repeat that...and I haven't by the way. To anyone. And I haven't talked about that weird eating thing you guys do, but I don't see what the big deal is..."

"We don't like to discuss it with non-Vulcans."

"Yeah, but it is so  _not_ -weird, so self explanatory really, which makes it  _really weird_."

Spock glared at Brian...who apparently didn't notice, and bounced right back to the previous uncomfortable topic, his eyes slipping once more back to the bar. "And even if you did get caught, you're Sharpton's golden-green boy, you'd probably walk away with a slap on the wrist, maybe minimal observation. Eh, nothin' to lose." Brian took a sip of his drink and stared across the room at Uhura and her friends.

Suddenly Spock realized there was something that angered him even more than the subject of this particular conversation. "Your hypothetical scenario fails to take into account the consequences that would befall the junior officer in question."

"What? Awww...she'd lose her credits, maybe have her graduation delayed. It would hurt her academic reputation...but she wouldn't be expelled or anything." Brian slowly turned his head away from the Uhura and her companions, and looked at Spock with an odd expression Spock could not decipher.

Brian opened his mouth slowly as if to say something, before he could utter a word another voice interrupted.

"You're Lieutenant Spock!" Suddenly Spock found a very scantily clad, green, voluptuous torso far too close to comfort. He looked up at the face attached to said torso. The face was smiling broadly. Spock noticed Uhura was holding on to her green friends arm, his eyes met hers and she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Hi, I'm Gaila, Uhura's roommate. I've heard soooooo much about you..."

Spock was wondering about the connotations of this, when Gaila continued, "From Professor Toshi Matsumura! He says you're going to help us with the Kobayashi Maru Project.

"I am in love with Professor Matsumura," Gaila continued. "He is soooooo brilliant, but for some reason he only works with me remotely." She heaved a huge sigh, dangerously jeopardizing the structural integrity of what was passing for a garment on her chest.

Spock was too shocked to say anything.

Gaila giggled. "I would just love to get my hands on Toshi's _brain!_ " She looked slyly at Spock. "Of course, since he is including you on the project that must mean you have a very _big_  brain too..." Then with the hand not holding an unidentifiable cocktail she reached out as though to touch one of Spock's ears. For his part Spock did his best not to recoil in disgust at this very distressing attempt at very inappropriate public physical contact. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Brian stifling a laugh.

Uhura interrupted. "Ahem, Gaila, this is Lieutenant Spock's friend Brian, Lieutenant Brian Jacobsen."

Spock inwardly cringed at the word 'friend', he knew it was a human custom to refer to even remote acquaintances as 'friends', but it was off-putting. Especially since he had clearly described Brian as a former roommate.

Uhura continued, "Brian and the Lieutenant are just here..."

Brian took over. "We're just out commemorating my last night planet side. Tomorrow I go to the neutral zone."

The hand Gaila was holding towards Spock's ear mercifully dropped, her eyes got big and she turned to Brian. "You're going to the neutral zone...tomorrow?"

Spock turned to Uhura, seeking some clarification. His Cadet was rolling her eyes in obvious annoyance. "Here we go again," she muttered to no one in particular.

She heaved a big sigh then looked at Spock for a long moment. She looked at her other remaining companions across the room. She looked back at Spock, sighed again and shook her head. "I'll be right back," she said.

Spock watched as she went back to talk to her other two companions.

By the time Uhura returned Gaila and her cocktail were parked on Brian's side of the booth. Brian was telling Gaila the same story he had told Spock earlier...although slightly more embellished Spock noticed. Gaila, for her part, kept oohing and ahhing and saying things like, "Oh, that is so brave."

Uhura looked at the seat next to Spock and asked, "May I join you?"

"Be my guest, Cadet." He slid over to make room and noticed that her other three friends were packing up. Uhura seemed...annoyed. She slipped in next to him and crossed her arms over her chest. Her jaw was clenched.

She stared straight ahead, and said in a low voice, "Lieutenant, I'm really, very sorry about this. She kind of feel like it's her patriotic duty to ummm..."

"It is, alright, Cadet, you do not have to explain, even to a Vulcan."

Uhura leaned close and whispered, "But she's interrupted the last night you have with your friend!"

Spock looked at Brian and Galia. They were paying absolutely no attention to him and Uhura.

Spock considered, then switched to Vulcan in order to be properly understood.  _"Friend is a very strong word_."

It was actually a common Vulcan expression. For some reason she looked like she was about to laugh, but then she caught herself, tilted her head and said,  _"That was not meant to be humorous, or you would not have said it in Vulcan..."_

He nodded in response.

She closed her eyes and nodded,  _"The connotations of 'friend' are much more serious in Vulcan are they not?"_

_"Yes, friend implies emotional and intellectual affinity, a life long bond, a willingness to make sacrifices and endure hardships..."_

_"I see. I thought that you being here with Brian on his last night planet side implied more._ " She was very close to him now. Although Gaila and Brian seemed lost in their own conversation she was whispering.

Spock almost sighed. He said very quietly, " _He does not know anyone else in San Francisco. It was made known to me that entertaining him on his last night before a potentially dangerous engagement was the..._ humane _...thing to do._

 _"It is not my first choice to be here, but I do not wish to be..._ inhumane _."_  Spock finished.

She looked at him for a long moment, looked at the door, then looked at Brian and Gaila, sighed and said,  _"I understand precisely."_


	21. Walls of Glass

 

Uhura switched to the common lingua franca and said just loud enough for him to hear, "This will go on for another two hours or so," She nodded in Brian and Gaila 's direction. "She likes to form a deep emotional attachment with her...before she..." Uhura said awkwardly. "I'm sorry; I know Vulcans don't like to talk about such things."

"At least they are not being terribly physically demonstrative in public," Spock replied relieved. Gaila did have one hand on Brian's shoulder, and Brian had one arm wrapped around her waist, but Spock, though he found such displays distasteful, had become somewhat inured to them in his time with humans.

Uhura bit her bottom lip, and said tentatively, "Well, not yet anyway..."

There was more uncomfortable silence, "Cadet, I don't know the protocol in these situations...do we stay or leave?"

"Well, it depends...I mean, she might still decide she's not interested. Patriotic duty only goes so far. She can be weirdly selective in her own unfathomable way." She sighed. "And I did hear your friend's comment about our intellectual capacity. He really might be just dumb enough to blow it."

"So?"

"To be humane we should probably wait it out a little bit longer."

Spock was deeply uncomfortable with the situation. He tried to be sympathetic to human and other alien life forms' customs, but he preferred that some of these customs did not intrude upon his immediate vicinity. On the other hand, there had been the episode with the comlink. Brian had been quiet about it…

Uhura was obviously as uncomfortable as he. Her jaw was still set. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She had turned and was now facing Brian again. She actually looked almost angry, Spock thought.

There was another long silence. Finally, Uhura looked sideways at him and said in a voice that sounded almost annoyed, "Isn't that sweater awfully warm on a night like this?"

And then it struck him. Brian and Gaila had eyes, ears, and he strongly suspected hands beneath the table, only for each other. Someone had turned on the music. The bar wasn't so loud shouting was necessary, but all conversations beyond him and his Cadet would be muffled. In a way, he realized, they were effectively...alone.

He could safely attempt to make her laugh.

"Only if you are a cold blooded human," he replied looking at her sideways.

Uhura's jaw unclenched, her arms relaxed a bit, the start of a smile began to slip across her face. She turned to Spock and shook her head slightly. "You are one mad Vulcan, you do know that don't you?"

He wasn't sure he knew anything of the sort, but she seemed more relaxed. And she was smiling -- albeit a little bit.

"And what are you drinking tonight, Lieutenant?" She asked.

"Anchor Steam."

"Anchor Steam?"

"You have never heard of it? It is a beer that has been made right here in San Francisco since 1896, traditionally brewed from an all-malt mash in a copper brewhouse." He said.

Uhura looked genuinely surprised. "Wow! I had no idea you knew so much about beer."

"I do not," he replied. "I read the bottle."

Spock pushed the empty bottle towards her across the table so she could have a look. She took it in her hands and looked at it. She was grinning ear to ear now and shaking her head, "You really are mad."

Spock had no idea what brought this on, or even what it meant. She seemed to be happy. Still.

"Please clarify, Cadet. Mad as in insane, as in enraged, as in ill-tempered, as in frantic? I've already ruled out mad as in wildly merry."

She looked up at him. They were very close, nearly as close as they were under the signal transmission array, and yet, strangely, this wasn't as unnerving. They were alone, but not alone. The ingrained Vulcan distaste for public contact removed any temptation Spock might have had to act out on his attraction to her. But he found he could still enjoy being close to her. It was like there was a glass wall between them, one he could talk through and look through, but never physically cross. Spock decided he liked the glass wall.

"Are you putting me on?" She asked laughing.

Spock raised his eyebrows. "I assure you, I am not teasing you. I am merely looking to clarify the exact definition of the madness of which you speak." This was, of course, all true.

"You're joking with me, aren't you?" She said. "Isn't that insanity coming from a Vulcan?"

"I assure you, I am not insane."

"Isn't that what the insane always say, Lieutenant?" She asked with a smile.

Spock tilted his head and considered. "I do not believe I know anyone personally who is insane. And apparently if I did, you inform me they would tell me that they were not insane -- which would make them very difficult to identify." Apparently, circular logic repeated back to its originator could be amusing, because she smiled again.

"In any event," Spock continued, "I merely wish to speak your language, Cadet. Have you not told me that you make jokes to cut tension? I am trying to do the same."

She gave him a strange look, and then said, "If your intent is to improve human-Vulcan interactions I accept your assurances of non-insanity. And as for my declarations of your madness...I meant it as in 'funny' or 'humorous', so you attained your objective."

"Those definitions are not in my dictionary," He replied checking his mental database.

She clenched her jaw, "Just take it as a complement."

He tilted his head. "Very well. Thank you."

He paused. Was there some human nicety he was forgetting? Ah, maybe. "Cadet, would it be appropriate for me to offer you a drink?" Then he added, "I assure you my intention is only to be polite, not to get you intoxicated."

Two bottles of Anchor Steam later – hers, he was still nursing his first, they were deep into a conversation about the translation of a particular verse in the  _T'Kai Lamana Ita_. Spock wasn't sure how they had gotten there, Uhura had said she absolutely did not want to discuss the paper she was finishing up -- and then somehow the conversation had turned around and that was exactly what they were discussing.

At some point Gaila had asked Brian if he'd like to teach her to play pool. Brian had said, "Of course I would, you're really HOT!" Then he had added hastily "...at math. You're really hot at math and I'm sure you'll be great at pool."

Uhura had watched this exchange and said, "Clumsy, but effective recovery. Two compliments really, and one was actually for her brain. He might make it."

Now Brian and Gaila were off together across the room. The pool lesson seemed to involve a lot of physical contact. Spock hardly noticed though. He was too focused on Uhura; the conversation, the contrast between Uhura's warm brown skin and her white top, the impossibly delicate sweep of her clavicles -- Spock had never realized these particular bits of anatomy could be so attractive.

"You know I think that is the answer, Lieutenant. I hadn't considered it before...but that is probably it. Thank you for helping me figure it out."

Spock tilted his head, "In point of fact, I think you reached that conclusion on your own."

"Yes well, thank you for being my sounding board. You're the first person in two weeks whose eyes haven't glazed over when I start talking about this stuff."

"Does this topic generally generate something like the Pavlovian Vulcan Sleep Response then?" Spock said this looking straight at her, he didn't even have to raise an eyebrow -- she laughed easily.

Unfortunately he wasn't sure if this was because he was getting better at the game of making her laugh, or if it was just the effects of the alcohol she had consumed.

Making Uhura laugh  _was_  a game to Spock. It was an intellectual exercise like any other. It was all about twisting words in unusual and surprising ways. The rewards of this particular mental exercise were emotional though.

"I guess any topic in too much detail can provoke a Pavlovian Vulcan Sleep Response in humans." Uhara replied.

She changed the subject, "So, Lieutenant, what other beverages do Vulcans like?"

Spock was about to answer when Uhura interjected, "Alcholic beverages, Lieutenant Spock."

That did change his answer. "I enjoy many earth wines, if they are not too sweet. I like the incredible variety, the fragrance..."

"I don't think this is the place for a decent glass of wine. Anything you might find here?"

Spock thought for a moment. Actually...

A few minutes later Spock was staring at an empty shot glass in front of Uhura. His eyebrows lifted in surprise. His own glass was barely touched.

"I did not expect you to drink it so quickly," he admitted.

"How else do you drink whiskey?" Uhura asked. She had, in fact, finished the entire shot in one gulp.

Spock blinked. "It was a Glenfiddich 21 year old single malt whiskey finished in barrels that once contained Caribbean Rum -- I was surprised this establishment even carried any..."

He continued, "I always thought you were supposed to savor it. The aroma alone is wonderfully complex -- sometimes I do not actually drink it, I just enjoy the fragrance. When I do drink I like to roll a sip around on my tongue before I swallow and enjoy the burn. It is an interesting sensory experience."

Uhura looked at him. "Uh-huh...tell you what you get me another, and I'll savor it."

Spock looked at her. "Cadet, you aren't trying to get intoxicated are you?"

Uhura burst out laughing. Spock was not happy this time. Was it too late? She saw his look of concern, took a deep breath, and said finally, "You know what, maybe right now, a glass of water would be better."

Spock was immensely relieved that she was being her usual sensible self.

Just then Brian slid into the seat across from him. Gaila attached herself to Uhura's arm, giggled and said, "Come on, powder room break."

As soon as the two were gone, Brian said, "Spock, I'm....ahhh....kind of sorry about tonight. I haven't been paying that much attention to you."

"That is quite alright, Brian," said Spock. Brian's voice was a little crackily.

"You really don't mind that I ah...."

"Not at all," replied Spock. When would this conversation end?

"I think I might be leaving in a few minutes...with Gaila. You don't mind?"

"Do not worry about it. I am glad that you are having a," Spock searched for the appropriate word, "memorable last night planet-side."

"Ahhh...man, you are the best friend ever!" Brian exclaimed.

Spock sighed inwardly. He hoped he wouldn't have to do more entertaining next time Brian had shore leave.

Spock looked Brian straight in the eye, neither confirming nor denying the other man's last statement. "Have a good mission, Brian," he finally managed.

Brian smiled at him, "And good luck with your research, Spock."

Spock looked around. The bar had gotten crowded and he couldn't see the wait person. He looked back at Brian and said, "Please excuse me, Cadet Uhura requested a glass of water. I think I will go to the bar."

Brian still smiling winked at Spock in a very disturbing fashion then waved him away.

It took a while to procure a glass of water. By the time he got back to the table Brian and Galia were no where in sight, but Uhura was not alone.


	22. Cold

****  
  
Standing at the table above Uhura was a human male Spock did not recognize. The bar was noisy; he was practically at the table before he overheard the conversation.

"...come on, you can't be having any fun," the man was saying to Uhura.

"I assure you my present company is quite acceptable," Uhura replied. Spock could tell she was clearly agitated. Spock was becoming agitated too.

In one more step Spock was at the table. He set down the glass of water a little too hard. He was at the side of the booth across from Uhura, but he did not sit down. The man talking to Uhura turned to look at Spock, he smiled and then turned back to Uhura, "Come on, ditch your chaperone..."

"Pardon?" Asked Spock.

The man turned back to Spock. They stood eye to eye. Neither blinked. The other man said with a smile, "Hey, what? Are you going to do a Vulcan nerve pinch on me?"

"That would be excessive. A slow squeeze to your brachial plexus would be just as effective and... _exquisitely_  painful. Would you like a demonstration?" Spock asked in his most practiced monotone. He was furious.

The man's mouth dropped a little. Spock tilted his head.

After less than a heart beat the other man swore a little and muttered, "Psycho." Then he left without a backward glance at Uhura.

Spock sat down gently. Inwardly he composed his mind. The element that had triggered his anger was gone, and he felt his calm trickle back.

It occurred to him he was probably getting a little territorial. Actually, if he considered both Vulcan and human psychology it was probably a very natural response to having an emotional bond to a female. It was just a quirk -- like having too deep an appreciation of her clavicles, an extra complication of having a female friend and not being fully Vulcan.

A Vulcan could have been just as protective, if they thought the situation logically dictated it, but a Vulcan would never have described anything as 'exquisitely painful'. He wondered where that expression had come from. He would need to meditate on it.

These thoughts raced through his mind in an instant. He looked up at Uhura. She hadn't touched the glass of water. Spock pushed it across the table to her. She looked a little startled, and took the water gratefully.

"Wow." She said softly. "Maybe I am a little drunk. I almost thought you were angry there. But...you were just psyching him out..." She sounded a little uncertain -- but didn't probe the matter. A helpful side affect of slight intoxication he could not have anticipated.

She took a sip. "You handled that a lot better than the guys at the bar a few weeks ago in Iowa. It got really violent, I was afraid they were going to kill the poor jerk who had been hitting on me."

Spocks eyebrows shot up. Bar in Iowa? Poor  _jerk_? What guys?

She saw his expression. "Remember I went on that day long training mission with Captain Pike? He is fantastic. It is so amazing that he takes Cadets out on exercises when the Farragut is planet side for repairs...

"He took us all out to a bar, in Iowa of all places, when our exercise was completed. Four ensigns attacked some hick who was being a little too friendly...long story, lots of blood, you probably don't want to know."

Spock nodded, "Probably not." Then he said, "Cadet, I believe you said that you wanted to meet your other companions later this evening. May I walk you to the shuttle stop?"

"Yes, thank you, that would be great."

Spock had once heard it said that if any Terran holy books had been written in San Francisco they would have had a commandment, "Thou shalt dress in layers."

As they walked out of the bar he was able to put that saying in context. The temperature had dropped precipitously. He even felt the chill through his sweater. Uhura may have been a cold blooded human, but she was dressed much more scantily than him. And she wasn't as good at internal thermo-regulation, very few humans were he had found. She was visibly shivering and rubbing her arms with her hands to keep warm.

Still, she was in a good mood. "So," she asked, "Does Brian think you are his best friend ever?"

Spock was walking next to her, his arms in their usual position behind his back. He tilted his head at this comment. If he could laugh he might have. "You are amazingly perceptive when it comes to human emotions, Cadet. Unfortunately, he said something to that effect.

"I just hope..." he began, then stopped. Hope was almost an emotional word.

"That he doesn't want to come visiting next time he has shore leave." Uhura finished.

They looked at each other.

He nodded. "Exactly. Although...Does this mean that I succeeded at my humanitarian mission, Cadet?"

"I don't know Lieutenant. I think maybe Gaila succeeded at your humanitarian mission."

"Do I deserve partial credit at least?" Spock asked sincerely.

They'd reached the shuttle stop. Uhura stood facing his direction. She was so cold she was visibly shaking. She considered his question and said, "Well, you did buy him a few beers -- so I guess you get a few points."

Spock did not like to see her so uncomfortable, it was actually frustrating to see her shivering. He looked side to side and considered. They were off duty. They were not in uniform. There were not drawing any attention in particular. And what he was thinking of doing was certainly not prohibited by any regulation. Without even asking he unzipped his sweater and peeled it off. He was perfectly presentable beneath it, a long sleeve black shirt with high collar even a Vulcan would not feel indecent in.

He handed his sweater to Uhura. "Take it," he said.

She laughed. "No, I'm the cold blooded human, remember?" She did not move.

"Take it, Cadet." He actually was a little annoyed, she was so obviously cold. He looked at her square in the eye. "I am very good at regulating my internal temperature. You are not. It bothers me to watch you shiver. Please, take it."

She looked at him confused. Then reached out took the garment from him and swung it over her shoulders in one easy motion. It dwarfed her of course. "Thank you, Cadet," he said tilting his head.

The problem was solved. But she looked uncomfortable for some reason. She looked down at the ground for a long moment in silence. Then she said, "No, thank you. Now you're cold, though."

"No, not really. I have already adjusted my internal thermostat. It takes more...physical resources...than simply covering up. But I'm not particularly cold." Spock explained.

She said nothing for a long moment, just looked straight at him. Finally she said, "You know, I really think tonight I'd rather just go home. I don't particularly feel like being out. I think it might be better for me to get some rest."

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Then he remembered her response to a statement he had posed earlier -- she'd smiled. He would try that tact again; he was fairly certain it fit under the form of humor known as 'teasing'.

"Then you will be in better shape to finish that paper, Cadet."

She looked at him with a confused look on her face. Then she tilted her head and said softly, "You're teasing me aren't you?"

He raised an eyebrow.

She laughed. "You are! You are! You HAVE been teasing me all evening, haven't you?"

"Not all evening," He replied. In fact he noted, if he had been teasing, it had been mostly unintentional. He mentally scoured their conversations earlier to see which could be considered teasing...and realized she'd laughed during most of them. Another mental game.

She tilted her head, and said with a quizzical smile. "Vulcans don't...tease."

"But I am only half Vulcan."

She was quiet for a moment then asked, "You're really not cold?"

"I am not cold. And a trait I do have from my Vulcan half is an almost near inability to lie."

She gave him a wicked half grin, "Of course, a liar would say that."

"You are teasing me now." He said perking up. This was exciting. A game played by two was almost always more stimulating.

"Yes.... I'm not cold anymore," she said, shrugging under his sweater. "Waiting for the shuttle takes almost as long as walking back to the dorm. And a walk might clear my head a bit...would you, like to...?"

Ah, Spock realized he could anticipate the end of her thought. How pleasant. "Would I like to walk?"

"Exactly, Lieutenant."

"Yes. I would, I can stop by the lab and run one more simulation." A thought struck him. "Unless you will require the lab for sleep?"

"No, it's not day twenty. This is just her normal, promiscuity...she'll have her head about her enough to go someplace else."

"Very well," Spock replied.

"So Professor Matsumura and Lieutenant Commander O'Hara are the ones who set you up to take Brian out? Those two jokers." Uhura said. She was walking at his side, her upper body and a good deal of her lower portion still engulfed in his sweater.

"So was it wrong for me to do so?" Spock asked.

She shook her head, "No, it was the right thing to do. I mean, he really is going to go out there and put his life on the line for us, he deserves respect for that. And he seems clueless, but not entirely bad."

"I am pleased I did the right thing. In general, I do not find Brian's company very memorable, I have no particular fondness for him, but I don't believe he is 'entirely bad' as you say.

"Professor Matsumura and the Lieutenant Commander pointed out to me that after four years Brian, as a human, probably had some fondness for me, just due to our proximity." Spock continued, "Vulcans do form emotional attachments...and friendships...but not that easily."

He continued. "It was a...revelation. It explained a great many things to me. I suspose, had I not taken him up on his offer to meet, that perhaps it might have caused him some small emotional distress. I do not wish to purposely cause distress in situations such as these."

"I know you don't, Lieutenant." She looked at him sideways, he met her gaze for a moment then turned away. This was perhaps further down this particular line of thought than he should go. Still, he was grateful for her words.

She changed the topic for him. "So you don't mind them cheating at 3D chess?"

"It isn't cheating if they're honest about it." He looked sideways at her and raised an eyebrow. She smiled and he continued. "I appreciate the challenge, actually. It was the first 3D chess game I've lost since coming to Earth."

"I can understand wanting a challenge, and wanting to be evenly matched. I'm taking Trill 101 next semester, a basic introductory course...but I'm so excited!"

Spock was surprised. "I didn't know Starfleet offered Trill, they aren't even part of the Federation yet. They are the species with the symbiont relationship, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are the ones with symbionts. And no, Starfleet doesn't offer Trill, until now.  _No one_  offers Trill. The professor will be inventing the curriculum as he goes, I guess. In this class I'll be the same as everyone else, no advantage what so ever. I'm so thrilled."

Spock considered, "Would it be teasing to mention that your aural acuity and your already dense neural networks in the language region of your brain make that statement about not having an advantage somewhat inaccurate?"

She looked at him and gave a half smile, "Yes, it would be teasing. But in a good way."

They were close to her dorm, at the place they had stopped a few months ago. Uhura turned and said, "I'm fine from here."

Spock stopped just a few feet away. They regarded each other quietly for a moment. Then she said, "You know, Lieutenant Spock, this was not the night I had originally planned. But I had a surprisingly good time. You helped me resolve the mental block I was hitting with regards to my paper, I became familiar with one of the native beverages of San Francisco, tasted 21 year old whiskey..."

"Tasted seems hardly the appropriate word..." Spock interrupted tilting his head.

She acknowledged this with a smile. "Next time, maybe."

She continued, "I definitely had good company...I had fun." Spock isn't sure, but he thought he registered some surprise in her voice as she said that.

"It certainly was an interesting evening, Cadet Uhura," Spock replied. He was thinking not just of their conversation, but of glass walls, and latent territorial instincts.

She looked down at the sweater she was wearing and paused a long moment. "You know Lieutenant, if you would feel comfortable with it, on occasions like this, when we are off duty...you may refer to me by my first name, Nyota."

Spock is thrilled. He immediately thinks of Patrick and Toshi, although he realizes the limitations of this metaphor.

He acknowledged his elation by tilting his head. Then replied, "And you may call me Spock."

She unzipped his sweater, softly slipped it off, and held it out to him by the collar on one finger -- a manner he noticed limited the potential for physical contact between their fingertips. "Thank you for letting me borrow this."

"You are welcome."

"Goodnight, Lieu...Spock"

He nodded at her. "Goodnight, Nyota."

He watched her enter her dorm, slipped on his sweater and headed to the lab to wrap up one final simulation. He also mentally rearranged his schedule to allow time to learn Trill.


	23. Tidy Piece of Blasphemy

Spock didn't see Uhura again before the term began. But she did send him her paper to review. He read it, of course. It was nearly perfect. A few nuances of translation that might be open to slightly different interpretation that he noted, but nothing more.

It was of course, sacrilege. Her paper only focused on the comparison of the ancient emotional proto-Romulan and logical proto-Vulcan translations of the  _T'Kai Lamana Ita._  But she did something no Vulcan, nor any Romulan he knew of had done. She acknowledged although the differences in interpretation could have been cultural, but she suggested they might also have been biological.

Which implied the great event of Vulcan, the conscious adaptation of Surek was not a colossal event of collective free-will, rather it was a natural progression dictated by some innate biology. It suggested the greatest act of 'reason' that Vulcan had ever known was not based on 'reason' at all. For a people whose whole ethos centered on their acceptance of logic due to the merits of their intellect it would be...devastating, inflammatory, heresy.

It was not orthodoxy shattering, it was not all inclusive, and only the work of a xenolinguist. Geneticists would have to pick through the ancient genomes and biologists might have to recreate and probe the neuroanatomy of proto-Vulcans and Romulans for there to be proof. But if not orthodoxy shattering, it was certainly a crack in the established canon.

The subject did make Spock deeply uncomfortable. But despite how uncomfortable the topic made him her argument was so  _logical_...and Spock couldn't help but think any logical argument deserved to be heard.

Uhura had added his name to the numerous acknowledgments; this was only honest and proper form. He noticed that the only other Vulcan acknowledged in this tidy piece of blasphemy was T'Lan -- he was sorry he hadn't gotten the chance to meet her.


	24. Vulcan Transmissions

 

The first transmission came the day of Uhura's return.

His cadet had come in for a morning shift in the lab. He had prepared a statement. The first words out of his mouth were, "Welcome back, Cadet Uhura. At ease."

He immediately followed up with what was his more typical greeting. "I have a number of planetary phenomena that I would like to start investigating, you should find them on your PADD. Shall we speak Andorian today?"

Spock surmised that because they were now on a first name basis, at least away from the Academy, he was safe to do something quite bold, for a first day back anyways. Just before she ran out for a class in the afternoon he said his next prepared statement -- in Andorian, of course.  _"We should celebrate the submission of your paper with lunch. Perhaps tomorrow? We both have a break from 12:30 to 14:00."_

She'd smiled, a real smile, not one of her professional office smiles.  _"Of course, Lieutenant Spock. Where should we meet?"_

 _"Shall we meet at_ Francescas?  _It is close to your previous class, Cadet Uhura."_

He looked forward to using her first name again. As she left he also realized how much he looked forward to having her help again, his pace had slowed over the summer break, that morning he had gotten so much more done. The practical and the emotional are not mutually exclusive.

It wasn't long after the sound of her boots disappeared down the hall that his visual comm began to blink alerting him of a transmission from his home world.

He was more than a little curious. Although subspace messages from other planets were not unheard of in his lab, they were still rare. Subspace signals required a lot of power on both ends, and so they had to be relayed through a central receiver and transmitter. They tended to be used sparingly for non-official purposes, and tended to be scheduled.

Touching the console to answer he found himself face to face with T'Lan.

The first thing that struck him was her age. He recognized her from his brief scan across the room at the Symposium, but he hadn't been close enough to really observe her then. He realized now that deceptively upright posture and jet black hair had made her appear middle aged from afar. Up close she was perhaps the oldest Vulcan he had ever met.

"Greetings, Spock. I am T'Lan," she said in the lingua franca as he answered the transmission.

Faced with an elder and a call from Vulcan he automatically shifted to Vulcan himself, and used the most honorific.  _"Pleased to be receiving your missive respected one."_  
  
"Speak in the common lingua franca please, Spock, without formality. My time in the universe is too short to bother with Vulcan politeness."

She then began without further ceremony. "I noticed that your name had been added to the acknowledgements on Nyota Uhura's paper. I was curious to know how great a role you played in shaping her ideas."

"My part was limited to some slight modifications of nuance in interpretation and to being a sounding board...that is to say -- "

T'Lan said, "Yes, yes, I know many humans have the unfortunate inability to process thoughts internally from time-to-time.

"So you modified some translations, listened to Ms. Uhura's ramblings and let yourself be added to this controversial paper without reservations?"

Spock tilted his head. "I found the subject matter...uncomfortable, but also novel. The factual information is correct, the logical arguments are sound. In such a case I believe even controversial ideas should be heard. Further, it is only proper form in human dissertations to acknowledge contributions such as mine. It would be emotional to insist on having my part hidden for fear of controversy."

"Then we both agree the paper is both deserving of attention and more importantly, logical. Moreover, neither of us reacts emotionally to controversy. You are more Vulcan than many Vulcans Spock."

Then she added, "Although I would think you are quite used to controversies in Vulcan evolution by now."

"I am sorry, I am afraid I do not understand your last statement," Spock said.

"Really?" asked T'Lan. "How fascinating. You don't see the significance in the latest divergence in Vulcan evolution being mentioned on a paper that at its heart is about Vulcan evolution?"

"I am afraid I do not take your meaning." Spock replied.

T'Lan said nothing for a moment, she just stared at Spock. There was no emotion on her face. "You don't understand what you are then. That is fascinating in itself. You are the latest branch in the Vulcan evolutionary tree, Spock."

This was interesting. One of his eyebrows rose involuntarily. "I confess, I have never thought of myself in that way."

"There are others who have. Your success has been somewhat of a consternation to them. A human-Vulcan hybrid would be so much more acceptable as a failure -- or at least, if he chose to live more as a Vulcan."

"I think of myself as primarily Vulcan," Spock replied. "I live by the dictates of logic."

"Yes, but you do so in such a human way, Spock," T'Lan replied. "Your rejection of the Vulcan Science Academy, was unheard of. That you had pursued other options to begin with when you knew your record was nearly perfect, that was very human.

"And I heard about your argument with D'Zorack and his accomplices. How is it that you deduce that human intellect is on par with Vulcan intellect, Spock? Especially when there is so much quantitative evidence that says otherwise?"

Spock felt himself straighten a bit, this was essentially the same question D'Zorack had asked -- and he'd failed to be convincing in his argument then. He suspected it would not help him, but he told her his honest thoughts on the matter. "As individuals they seldom compare to a Vulcan in sheer mental prowess, but as a species they are most competitive.

Further, as individuals they often have great leaps of insight, that while not reached in the same methodical way as our own, show just as much..." He stumbled here. Human endeavors of genius often seemed to come from nowhere. One couldn't really call this intellect, could they? At last he settled on, "...promise."

"It took me over 40 years working among humans at Oxford University to reach that same conclusions. You have reached them in six. Your flexibility of belief is impressive." Her reaction was not what he had expected.

T'Lan continued, "I have noticed, that humans in general tend to be more flexible in their beliefs than Vulcans. You seem to have inherited that intellectual advantage, along with the mental prowess of a Vulcan."

She was silent for a moment and stared at him intently. "It would be most interesting to meet you, to see how your Vulcan heritage and your human heritage intertwine.

"You are a fascinating being, Spock. It will be interesting to see if you are the beginning of a new line. Certainly our very old race set in its ways might benefit from a new beginning. Or perhaps you'll become just another dead branch on our evolutionary tree.

"Please give my regards to your assistant."

And with that she was gone.

The thing about the conversation that stood out more than anything else to Spock was that, for the first time, a Vulcan had suggested his human heritage might carry an intellectual advantage.

xxx

"Wow," Uhura said, "And I thought she was one of the good guys."

They were at lunch and he'd just told her about his call from T'Lan.

The meal had gone well up until that point. The weather was still as warm as San Francisco got, and they'd gotten a table outside.

The first question he asked her upon sitting down was, "Nyota, do you think a toast is in order?"

She'd replied quite sensibly, "Not before lab, and not before it's officially published...Spock."

She'd drawn out his name the first time she'd used it without his title, in a way that was most satisfactory.

"But I will take that as an offer for a drink if it is accepted." She said.

"T'Lan seemed to think it might take a few months, she said it would be a bit controversial. I think I'm not completely clear on the full extent of the controversy, I feel like I understand it intellectually...but emotionally..."

She shook her head. "Humans have been through more belief systems in the last thousand years than Vulcans have been through in their whole existence. Maybe a little shake up is good?

"And considering that it was just a little paper by a xenolinguist who hasn't even graduated I would think the shake up would be quite  _little_. In the end my paper just highlights Romulan and Vulcan differences in interpretation of a very old poem. It doesn't prove anything beyond that one ancient race primarily thought emotionally, and another primarily thought logically in the analysis of poetry."

"It is a very small shake up, Nyota." Spock replied. And then a thought occurred to him. "If it had been a big shake up I'm not sure it would be published at all."

Had T'Lan thought of this too? She said that Vulcans could use a new beginning -- was she looking to start a new beginning in intellectual thought on Vulcan? Certainly a small controversy would be the way to do it. He wished he had been able to talk to the older Vulcan more.

"Hmmm....well, I hope I didn't get you and T'Lan into too much trouble by putting you in my acknowledgements," Nyota said.

"Don't worry, Nyota. We are talking about a controversy among Vulcans here. There will be a few raised eyebrows." He raised an eyebrow of his own for emphasis. "We will not be stoned for heresy."

She looked at him sideways, and smiled, a little bit. Then her face got serious. "What about more Vulcan inquisitions?"

Spock tilted his head. "Not for me. I am too removed from Vulcan at this point. For T'Lan, probably, but she seems more than able to handle herself. She contacted me just after you left yesterday. Fascinating individual."

Now Nyota's smile returned. "What, my two Vulcans are talking to each other?"

Spock was not sure he wanted to be just one of her two Vulcans. "Need I remind you I am only half Vulcan. That question is not very precise."

"O.K. then,  _my half-Vulcan,_ what did you and  _my Vulcan_  discuss?"

 _Her_  half Vulcan. He would have to meditate on the connotations of that.

"Go on," Nyota said, "Tell me everything."

So he did. He finished up by saying, "She asked me to send you her regards."

That is when Nyota had said, "Wow, and I thought she was one of the good guys."

She shook her head. She was not smiling, nor was she looking at him.

Spock knew the expression, 'good guys,' but wasn't sure he understood its application here. "Pardon?" he asked.

Nyota looked at him. "Spock doesn't it bother you that she seems to want to watch you like a bug under a microscope?"

Spock tilted his head. "I suppose I found her curiosity a refreshing change," he admitted.

"Well, I imagine it beats outright condescension," Nyota replied.

"It was the first time my human heritage has ever been considered an intellectual benefit." Spock said. That comment from T'Lan was still very much with him. "She is truly a fascinating individual. I might find it interesting to put her under a microscope."

She sighed in exasperation. "Vulcans," she said and then shook her head and added, "And half-Vulcans..."

Spock decided to change the subject. "So, how was the rest of your summer break...Nyota." He enjoyed enunciating her first name. "I trust you got into no more barroom altercations?" It was probably not the safest of questions, but he found he had to know.

She smiled. "No, I had no more barroom adventures. Although, if I had, I would have been quite well protected."

Spock snapped to attention. Protected by whom? "Indeed?" he asked.

Nyota smiled a wide lazy smile. "Yes, my brother came to town during my last few days of recess. He is a very effective deterrent when it comes to unwanted advances. He's probably more protective of me than any man I've ever known, after my father of course."

Spock thought he might have to mediate a bit on these last few statements.

xxx

It was later in that first week that Spock and Nyota began receiving more unexpected transmissions to the lab. They were data only, but their content was almost as fascinating to Spock as his conversation with T'Lan had been.

They were requests from Vulcans who had upcoming speaking engagements with humans. They were interested in using his and Nyota's presentation methods -- he had begun to think of his presentation style as  _theirs_ , after all she had been the instigator.

Nyota looked at the requests and immediately noticed they fit into two categories: requests that started out 'my human colleagues; have instructed me to contact you' and requests that began, 'I heard that your methods dramatically aid human comprehension.'

Spock noticed something else, the Vulcans not contacting him under duress were older, and had typically been working with humans for many years. There were also few requests from Vulcan itself, and no requests from any researcher at the Vulcan Science Academy.


	25. Emotional Complications

 

Nyota's return and the emotional and professional advantages it provided, the transmission from T'Lan, and the contact from his fellow Vulcans were all, if not precisely 'happy' events for Spock, definitely fulfilling.

There was one more event that occurred in the first few weeks that Spock was unsure how to classify. He discovered that his cadet had been quietly stoking another emotional attachment.

Spock was very poor at judging motivations, but even he had been able to intellectually deduce the reason Uhura had taken his assistantship. She wanted to solve the mystery of the 'Romulan' transmission they had found. This had been illogical. There still was not definitive proof that their research would deliver a method of decoding the transmission. And of course there was the matter of its very unlikely authenticity.

Still, for so many months she had worked diligently and patiently at tasks that were distant from the transmission itself. She'd said that she appreciated the skills she had acquired during the course of the assistantship. He supposed that it was illogical to presume from this that she had put her original motivations behind -- but he had.

He had been wrong.

"Lieutenant Spock," Nyota said in the lab one day, "Did you see that Commander Sharpton has finished her background investigation of the transmission we found?"

The Commander had been seeking evidence of a Romulan vessel in satellite data on the date of the transmission. "No, I haven't. When did she complete it?"

"About fifteen minutes ago. She just messaged me. I've been gently hounding her for months to let me know as soon as the investigation was completed."

That was something to contemplate, a cadet,  _gently hounding_ a Commander.

"I didn't realize you were following the matter so closely." He responded. Spock himself had not been following the matter at all. If there was anything important discovered he was sure the Commander would tell him in good time. The likelihood that the transmission was anything at all was so remote. Investing mental effort in the matter seemed a waste of time.

Nyota continued, "Do you know why the investigation took so long?"

This was a frustratingly vague question, the possible explanations were infinite. "No, Cadet, please enlighten me," he said, seating himself at a console to begin some simulations.

She sat down at a console opposite him. "Because there is  _nothing,"_ she said with a smile.

Spock was confused. Why did this make her happy?

"Nothing, Cadet?"

She laughed, " _Nothing_ , there are  _no_  official satellite records from that date, no records from Earth telescopes, hardly any unofficial records. Don't you find that odd? During the 1990s several earth governments, not to mention independent agencies were scanning the skies...and that date doesn't exist."

"A lot vanished during the war 70 years after the transmission, Cadet. Especially official records --"

"Because the interim government during and after the war was anti-space travel, anti-science, anti-technology, and run by quasi-religious groups that wanted humans back in the Stone Ages.

"The fact that there are  _no_  records from that date suggests that there was something to hide!" She said, hands moving excitedly.

Spock looked up from his console. "Cadet Uhura, need I remind you that the likelihood that the transmission is Romulan in origin is--"

"I know, I know...if it was Romulan we wouldn't be here...or I'd be wearing a little Romulan slave girl outfit..."

Spock tensed. The idea of Nyota in the hands of Romulans was more than unappealing. "Cadet, if that is a joke, I am certain it is not funny."

"I'm trying to lighten the mood...A Romulan slave girl outfit might actually be slightly less revealing than this uniform..."

Spock decided to play along, if it would keep the mood lighter on her end. "Perhaps, Cadet."

He took a breath. "Still, it is very unlikely that the transmission is anything other than an anomaly or, considering its origins, a hoax."

Uhura's jaw clenched. When she spoke her voice was nearly a whisper. "Considering its  _human_  origins, Lieutenant?"

Spock looked her dead in the eye and replied, "The 2053 Signal, Table-Top Cold Fusion...Piltdown Man. Need I continue?"

Uhura took a deep breath and looked down. "I guess our track record has been spotty at times."

Her shoulders slumped. Her face went slack. Spock could tell she was upset.

He tried to distract her. "Cadet, did you know that there is a theory that the Piltdown Man hoax was perpetrated by Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries? If so, Piltdown Man was perhaps the greatest mystery Doyle ever created." This was certainly not an original thought of his own; it was something he'd seen in a documentary.

"Yes, I'm sure that the researchers who dedicated their lives to studying Piltdown Man for forty years, only to find out it was fake, thought it was a wonderful mystery," Uhura replied.

Spock had nothing to say to that.

xxx

Just under a week later Spock returned early from a class he was teaching. Uhura was there a little earlier than usual -- so not officially on 'lab' time yet. That wasn't in itself particularly strange. What was strange was that she was playing recording 180092A over the lab sound system. She wasn't facing the door, she was staring out the window just listening to the static, and then those suspicious clicks and tones. He entered and she didn't even notice.

When the audible part of the recording ended she said without turning around, "Computer play again." She kept her eyes out the window, standing stock still, only slightly more relaxed than if she had been standing at attention.

Once more when the recording ended, she called out, "Computer..."

Spock interrupted this time. "Cadet Uhura, why are you listening to this recording?"

Uhura spun fast in surprise and snapped automatically to attention.

"Lieutenant, I just want to remind myself that it is real."

"How can you deduce from this recording alone that what we are listening to is…real."

"I can't. But he just sounds...sad."

It was an awkward moment for Spock. She was clearly wasting her time on something that was illogical, although technically it had been her time, and he hadn't been in the lab to be distracted by the recording.

Finally he just said, "You realize this is a completely illogical activity?"

"Yes," she replied, "I do."

If she had denied that it was illogical he could have reasoned with her. But she didn't deny it was illogical. She accepted it was and did it anyway.

He realized that she had become emotionally attached to their research, more specifically to the promise of deciphering the 'Romulan' transmission. He wasn't sure how, or if, he should discourage this.

Commander Sharpton's revelation of the loss of the records for the recorded date had noticeably motivated his Cadet.

They were also fairly close to completing their research into subspace signals generated by planets. It looked as though only planetary position in the solar system and the galaxy was important. Planet side events appeared to only minimally contribute to 'solar gossip.'

After they finished with planetary bodies they could focus on solar events. Once they discovered exactly how solar events affected the 'solar gossip' they could begin to investigate the transmission. He'd heard Nyota murmur to herself more than once, "We're getting close."

She had always been timely before, but now she was significantly ahead in her work. She had told him that she had broken down her tasks into those she could do only in lab, and things she could do remotely when she 'had a minute.'

In short, her emotional attachment to the project was putting him ahead of schedule again. Even if the source of her motivation was illogical should he discourage it?

He did mention to her that they were ahead of schedule, and she need not push herself to the point of neglecting her other duties. But ever the efficiency expert, he didn't push it.

Less than two weeks later they were finished with planetary subspace signals.

 


	26. Beginning of the Fall

****  
  
_"You are not alone any longer, Nyota,"_  Spock said, his pronunciation of the alien tongue still accented by Vulcan.

 _"You are not alone any longer, Spock,"_ Nyota replied with a smile, her accent nearly perfect.

It was the Trill standard greeting. Much of Trill culture focused on being paired with a symbiont, there was an undercurrent of escaping 'aloneness' throughout many of their common expressions.

One of the coincidences of their fall schedules was that three days a week Spock got out of teaching in a lecture hall close to the Xenolinguistic Department just as Nyota left her Trill course.

He'd often meet her among the stream of cadets exiting the xenolinguistics building. It was somewhat of a revelation to Spock to see her in what he considered her native habitat. She almost never left the building alone; she nearly always was talking to someone. This was not revealing. What was revealing was how often people she was not talking to were talking about her.

He heard whispers that reminded him surprisingly a lot of his time as a cadet.

_"...not even a third year....already submitted to a Vulcan journal for publication."_   
_  
"… already tested out of Romulan, Klingon...."_

_"...and she works in the Subspace Signal Laboratory...she's presented for..."_

He knew Nyota heard these whispers too. One time just as she approached him he heard,  _"She's his assistant. No mystery how she tested out of Vulcan..."_

Nyota straightened up and tensed, biting her bottom lip. They looked each other in the eye. She shrugged. He tilted his head. They turned in unison and headed towards the lab.

Since both of them were on their way to the lab at these times anyway, it was only logical that they should walk together if they happened to run into one another -- which they did 90.5% of the time.

They almost always spent the walk back to the lab practicing Trill. Their Trill vocabulary was limited to the syllabus and materials provided by Nyota's professor. The Trill were such a new species, there really wasn't much on their language, and only a little more on their culture. So they didn't even know the correct Trill equivalents for 'cadet' or 'lieutenant'. They could have said these in the lingua franca of course -- but somehow never did.

Both had gone over the lesson the night before on the online syllabus, although Spock memorized it instantly, Nyota still needed practice -- even after her class. She told him that it would take at least eight times reviewing a word or conjugation in practice for her to remember it.

Since they were only in the beginning stages of their Trill vocabulary, these conversations were very rote in nature, and usually had Nyota firing off at him the latest words and phrases she'd learned in rapid succession. He got a great deal of satisfaction teasing her about being her personal Trill data dump.

After reviewing, she'd try to make him stumble in his pronunciation. He'd try to make her stumble over vocabulary. It was a most enjoyable game for Spock -- a big part of the enjoyment was that he didn't always win.

Besides their Trill walks they were going out to lunch about once a week. Justifications for these meals had gone from 'We have just completed a simulation of twin stars at their solar maximum experiencing simultaneous solar flares -- perhaps we should celebrate' to the more mundane, 'It is an unseasonably warm day. A walk to Francescas would be most agreeable'.

Sometimes if they had no time for lunch they'd just take tea and coffee together in the cafeteria.

After initial protests Spock paid -- most of the time. He thought it was only logical; he was the one with credits.

They talked about many things during these outings: current Federation events, xenophonology and morphology, and evolution in all its forms was a big interest to both of them. He was more interested in it from a biological perspective, Nyota from a cultural and linguistic perspective.

They began talking about more personal things too, or she did. Spock knew about her family -- her older brother was some sort of nuevo-libertarian-capitalist, but Nyota didn't mind.

"Without him to be the real black sheep of the family, my mother might be more interested in me joining the Diplomatic Corp. She is still hopeful that my baby sister will go that way...anyway, my brother uses his language skills for commerce, trade and the accumulation of personal wealth -- or as my parents say, for evil not for good. It's easy for me to look good in comparison."

Spock did not like to talk about his family or his childhood, but he was fascinated by how animated she could be talking about hers.

They also would occasionally go to events and lectures if they had a common interest in them.

In short, they spent a lot of time together, in and out of the lab, and they were often in each others company as they came and went. Walking the halls of his department with his cadet was a bit of a revelation to Spock. Nyota knew everyone it seemed -- cadets, officers, professors, staff, even the woman whose job it was to ensure the cleaning bots were doing their jobs efficiently.

She never forgot to acknowledge anyone. Even if they were deep in some discussion about something technical she would at the very least nod in their direction and give them a smile. Usually, of course, they would nod back at his Cadet, and then at Spock too. Spock took to nodding in return -- it seemed polite. He found once he started doing this with her people began acknowledging him even when he wasn't in Nyota's company.

If Nyota and he were not involved in a heavy conversation, and if they were on schedule, she would often briefly comment to the people on research they were involved in, or on some happy event in their family life.

Her knowledge of every engagement, marriage, and birth in the lives of everyone in the department seemed, to Spock at least, encyclopedic. He was not sure how one individual could keep up with it all. When he asked her about it she replied, "I know it all from gossip. Sometimes it can be good, not evil."

About eight weeks into the semester that Spock began to understand that some of the gossip in the department featured Nyota and him.

They entered the building and Nyota was in the midst of telling him rather animatedly about some research into xenomorphology one of her Professors was doing when they'd run into Xelium.

"Well," Xelium exclaimed walking towards them with his aide Dalang in tow. "If it isn't the two everyone's starting to call the new odd couple."

Dalang was a tiny woman with wizened features that made it impossible to judge her ethnic origins. She was as quiet and effacing as Xelium was loud and imposing. She was not a student, nor a professor, she was a staff member -- Spock had never heard her utter a single word.

Nyota stiffened a little, as she always did around Xelium. But she replied with a smile, "I'm sure that honor will always and forever belong to Lieutenant Commander O'Hara and Professor Matsumura."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Xelium commented, neither he nor Dalang breaking stride.

Spock raised his eyebrows. As soon as they were out of sight he asked, "Odd couple?"

Nyota sighed, "It is a very old expression. I don't think anyone knows how it started. It means a pair of opposites that somehow manage to get along and be friends."

It seemed innocuous to Spock, and fitting. They were opposites in the most visible ways; emotional and logical, extrovert and introvert, human and Vulcan -- or half Vulcan. If he took it further male and female -- but since most humans regarded him as something of an asexual walking calculator, he wasn't sure that comparison applied.

Spock wasn't sure why Nyota stood for a moment staring down the hall as Xelium walked away.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this story, please check out my original stories: [Murphy's Star](http://murphysstar.tumblr.com/post/34481173086/murphys-star-free-excerpt), and my [I Bring the Fire](http://ibringthefireodin.tumblr.com/post/27868080954/fic-i-bring-the-fire-post-1) series--in which Chaos comes to Earth and feels right at home.


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